Person Biography:
Peggy Wood, born Margaret Wood on February 9, 1892, in Brooklyn, was a renowned singer, actress, and stage legend. She was the daughter of a popular newspaperman and humorist. Wood began taking singing lessons at the age of 8 and made her stage debut as a teenager in the chorus of "Naughty Marietta" (1910). She quickly rose to prominence, earning strong applause for her lead ingenue debut in "Maytime" in 1917.
Wood's stage career spanned six decades, with notable roles in musicals and operettas, including "Buddies" (1919),"Marjolaine" (1922),and "The Clinging Vine" (1922). She also excelled in witty comedies and Shakespearean plays, such as "Candida" (1925) and "The Merchant of Venice" (1928).
Wood's Hollywood career was marked by her iconic role as the Mother Abbess in "The Sound of Music" (1965),for which she received an Academy Award nomination. She made her film debut in the silent movie "Almost a Husband" (1919) opposite humorist Will Rogers.
Wood was married twice, first to poet and literary editor John V.A. Weaver, with whom she was part of the New York "intellectual" circuit and the Algonquin Round Table. She later married William Walling, an executive in the printing business, and was widowed twice.
Throughout her long career, Wood was recognized with numerous awards and nominations, including two Emmy nominations for her work on the TV series "Mama" (1949). She continued to work on stage and screen until her death on March 18, 1978, at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy as one of the grand dames of Broadway and London theatre.
