Mary Martin

American actress and singer who first sang "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" in the 1938 Broadway musical "Leave It To Me," followed by many musical hits. For five decades her impish energy hovered over Broadway, sprinkling stages with magic and transporting theatergoers to Never-Never-Land. She sparkled in "South Pacific," "Sound of Music" and "Peter Pan." Baby Mary sang before she could talk. At five, she made her stage debut at the local Fireman's Ball, and at ten, after seeing the silent movie "Peter Pan," she broke her collarbone attempted to fly off the family garage. In 1930, the 16-year old Mary married Ben Hagman, an aspiring attorney. They moved in with her parents where, 11 months later, she gave birth to son Larry Martin Hagman. To make ends meet during the Depression, Mary opened a dance school. She and Ben divorced in 1937 but remained friends until his death in 1965. Larry was largely raised by his grandparents and then his dad while Mary pursued her career, which led to an estrangement between them. In her autobiography she wrote, "I gave to my audiences what belonged to my children," and she felt blessed that she had a second chance in her older years to know them, and their children. She and Larry eventually became fast friends. Winning a talent show took Mary to New York, where she made a Broadway debut on 11/11/1938, getting rave reviews for her rendition of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." Hollywood took notice and offered her a ten-picture contract. She played in films from 1939, including "Birth of the Blues," 1941. Films were not her favorite medium; she liked the contact with the audience that she had on stage. She always made time for autographs and had a personal connection with her fans. In 1955, she was awarded the TV Emmy in the best actress category for her work in "Peter Pan." Her autobiography is entitled "My Heart Belongs." While shooting her first film in 1939, Martin met Richard Halliday, whom she married in 1940. Richard managed her career and they were inseparable during their 33-year marriage; they had one daughter, Heller. In 1982, Martin was in a serious car accident in San Francisco. The taxi in which she was riding was hit by a van: her manager was killed and her friend, actress Janet Gaynor, Paul Gardner and Martin were all badly hurt. Mary's pelvis was broken in three places and she had two broken ribs and a punctured lung. She survived as matter of "good genes, luck and God." When she finally left the hospital, doctors and nurses stood by and crowed loudly, just the way Peter Pan bade us to do when life gave us something worth cheering about. A year later she staged a benefit for the Crisis Center and - at age 70 - flew all the way to the third balcony, crowing her triumph. Her husband Richard Halliday, died in 1973 at their ranch in Brazil. It was the most traumatic event of her life and Martin insists that his spirit stayed near her. With the wealth and peace that comes from an robust appreciation of life, Martin died of liver cancer on 11/03/1990, Ranch Mirage, CA. Link to Wikipedia biography