Peggy Ann Garner
Encyclopedia
Peggy Ann Garner was an American
actress.
A successful child actor
, Garner played her first film role in 1938 and won the Academy Juvenile Award
for her work in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
(1945). Featured roles in such films as Black Widow (1954) did not further her attempts to establish herself in mature film roles, and although she progressed to theatrical work, she made relatively few acting appearances as an adult.
, Garner's mother pushed her into the limelight, and entered her in talent quests while Garner was still a child. By 1938 she had made her first film appearance and over the next few years appeared in several more films including Jane Eyre (1943) and The Keys of the Kingdom
(1944). She reached the height of her success at the age of 13 in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
(1945) winning an Academy Juvenile Award
largely on the basis of this performance.
Like many child performers, Garner was unable to make a successful transition into adult film roles. She guest starred steadily in television roles beginning in the early 1950s and continuing through the 1960s. She was a regular panelist on the NBC series Who Said That?
, along with H. V. Kaltenborn and Boris Karloff
. After her film career ended, she ventured into stage acting and had some success, but also worked as a real estate agent and fleet-car executive between acting jobs in order to support herself. In 1978, she surprised film audiences after a decade away from any feature film, when she appeared as pregnant aunt of the bride 'Candice Ruteledge' in critically acclaimed ensemble Robert Altman
film, "A Wedding
" in 1978. Her final screen performance was a small part in a made-for-television feature, "This Year's Blonde", in 1980.
on May 16, 1956, and they divorced on March 13, 1963. Garner's final marriage was to Kenyon Foster Brown. After a few years, that marriage, too, ended in divorce. Her only child, Catherine Ann Salmi, died in 1995 at age 38 from heart disease.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress.
A successful child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
, Garner played her first film role in 1938 and won the Academy Juvenile Award
Academy Juvenile Award
The Academy Juvenile Award, also known as the Juvenile Oscar, was a Special Honorary Academy Award bestowed at the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to specifically recognize juvenile performers under the age of eighteen for their "outstanding...
for her work in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (film)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a 1945 film, the first film directed by Greek-American director Elia Kazan, starring James Dunn , Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, and Peggy Ann Garner .The film is based on an American novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith first published in 1943...
(1945). Featured roles in such films as Black Widow (1954) did not further her attempts to establish herself in mature film roles, and although she progressed to theatrical work, she made relatively few acting appearances as an adult.
Life and career
Born in Canton, OhioCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Garner's mother pushed her into the limelight, and entered her in talent quests while Garner was still a child. By 1938 she had made her first film appearance and over the next few years appeared in several more films including Jane Eyre (1943) and The Keys of the Kingdom
The Keys of the Kingdom (film)
The Keys of the Kingdom is a 1944 American film based on the 1941 novel, The Keys of the Kingdom, by A. J. Cronin. The movie was adapted by Nunnally Johnson, directed by John M. Stahl and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Rose Stradner, Edmund...
(1944). She reached the height of her success at the age of 13 in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (film)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a 1945 film, the first film directed by Greek-American director Elia Kazan, starring James Dunn , Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, and Peggy Ann Garner .The film is based on an American novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith first published in 1943...
(1945) winning an Academy Juvenile Award
Academy Juvenile Award
The Academy Juvenile Award, also known as the Juvenile Oscar, was a Special Honorary Academy Award bestowed at the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to specifically recognize juvenile performers under the age of eighteen for their "outstanding...
largely on the basis of this performance.
Like many child performers, Garner was unable to make a successful transition into adult film roles. She guest starred steadily in television roles beginning in the early 1950s and continuing through the 1960s. She was a regular panelist on the NBC series Who Said That?
Who Said That?
Who Said That? is a 1947-55 NBC radio-television game show, in which a panel of celebrities attempts to determine the speaker of a quotation from recent news reports. The series was first proposed and edited by Fred W. Friendly, later of CBS News....
, along with H. V. Kaltenborn and Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
. After her film career ended, she ventured into stage acting and had some success, but also worked as a real estate agent and fleet-car executive between acting jobs in order to support herself. In 1978, she surprised film audiences after a decade away from any feature film, when she appeared as pregnant aunt of the bride 'Candice Ruteledge' in critically acclaimed ensemble Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
film, "A Wedding
A Wedding
A Wedding is a 1978 black comedy film directed by Robert Altman, starring Carol Burnett, Lillian Gish, Geraldine Chaplin, Vittorio Gassman, Mia Farrow, Lauren Hutton, Craig Richard Nelson, Pam Dawber, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Paul Dooley, Dennis Christopher, and Howard Duff...
" in 1978. Her final screen performance was a small part in a made-for-television feature, "This Year's Blonde", in 1980.
Personal life
Garner married singer/game show host Richard Hayes, and they divorced in 1953. She went on to marry actor Albert SalmiAlbert Salmi
Albert Salmi was an American actor.-Biography:Albert Salmi was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Finnish immigrant parents, and following a stint in the Army, took up acting as a career, studying Method acting with Lee Strasberg. In 1955, Salmi starred in Bus Stop on Broadway...
on May 16, 1956, and they divorced on March 13, 1963. Garner's final marriage was to Kenyon Foster Brown. After a few years, that marriage, too, ended in divorce. Her only child, Catherine Ann Salmi, died in 1995 at age 38 from heart disease.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Little Miss Thoroughbred | Praying orphan | uncredited |
| 1939 | Blondie Brings Up Baby | Melinda Mason | |
| In Name Only In Name Only In Name Only is a 1939 romantic film starring Cary Grant, Carole Lombard and Kay Francis. It was based on the 1935 novel Memory of Love by Bessie Breuer.-Plot:... |
Ellen Eden | ||
| 1940 | Abe Lincoln in Illinois (film) Abe Lincoln in Illinois (film) Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a 1940 biographical film which tells the story of the life of Abraham Lincoln from his departure from Kentucky until his election as President of the United States.... |
little girl (uncredited) | Spirit of the People UK title |
| 1942 | The Pied Piper The Pied Piper (1942 film) The Pied Piper is a 1942 film in which an Englishman on vacation in France is caught up in the German invasion of that country, and finds himself taking an ever-growing group of children to safety. It stars Monty Woolley, Roddy McDowall and Anne Baxter. The movie was adapted by Nunnally Johnson... |
Sheila Cavanaugh | |
| Eagle Squadron | Child | ||
| 1944 | The Keys of the Kingdom The Keys of the Kingdom (film) The Keys of the Kingdom is a 1944 American film based on the 1941 novel, The Keys of the Kingdom, by A. J. Cronin. The movie was adapted by Nunnally Johnson, directed by John M. Stahl and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Rose Stradner, Edmund... |
Nora, as a girl | |
| Jane Eyre | Jane Eyre (younger) | ||
| 1945 | Nob Hill | Katie Flanagan | |
| A Tree Grows in Brooklyn A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (film) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a 1945 film, the first film directed by Greek-American director Elia Kazan, starring James Dunn , Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, and Peggy Ann Garner .The film is based on an American novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith first published in 1943... |
Francie Nolan | ||
| Junior Miss Junior Miss Junior Miss is a collection of semi-autobiographical stories by Sally Benson first published in The New Yorker. Between 1929 and the end of 1941, the prolific Benson published 99 stories in The New Yorker, some under her pseudonym of Esther Evarts... |
Judy Graves | ||
| 1946 | Home, Sweet Homicide | Dinah Carstairs | |
| 1947 | Daisy Kenyon Daisy Kenyon Daisy Kenyon is a 20th Century Fox feature film starring Joan Crawford, Henry Fonda, and Dana Andrews in a story about a post-World War II romantic triangle. The screenplay by David Hertz was based upon a 1945 novel by Elizabeth Janeway. The film was directed and produced by Otto Preminger. Daisy... |
Rosamund O'Mara | |
| Thunder in the Valley | Maggie Moore | ||
| 1948 | The Sign of the Ram | Christine St. Aubyn | |
| 1949 | The Lovable Cheat | Julie Mercadet | |
| The Big Cat | Doris Cooper | ||
| Bomba, the Jungle Boy | Pat Harland | ||
| 1951 | Teresa | Susan Cass | |
| 1954 | Black Widow | Nancy 'Nanny' Ordway | |
| 1966 | The Cat | Susan Kilby | |
| 1978 | A Wedding A Wedding A Wedding is a 1978 black comedy film directed by Robert Altman, starring Carol Burnett, Lillian Gish, Geraldine Chaplin, Vittorio Gassman, Mia Farrow, Lauren Hutton, Craig Richard Nelson, Pam Dawber, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Paul Dooley, Dennis Christopher, and Howard Duff... |
Candice Ruteledge | |
Further reading
- "Plain Beautiful: The Life of Peggy Ann Garner," by Sandra Grabman. Albany: BearManor Media. 2005. ISBN 1-59393-017-8.
- "Spotlights & Shadows: The Albert Salmi Story," by Sandra Grabman. Albany: BearManor Media. 2004. ISBN 1-59393-001-1.