Sandy Duncan, born Sandra Kay Duncan on February 20, 1946, in Texas, grew up feeling like an outsider due to her desire to become an actress. She trained in dance and appeared in productions of "The King and I" and "The Music Man" as a teen. After leaving Lon Morris Junior College, she packed her bags for New York and made her Broadway debut in "Peter Pan" as Wendy, earning an enchanting performance and a Tony nomination.
Sandy's early success led to her being named "the most promising face of tomorrow" by Time Magazine in 1970. Disney took notice and cast her in the film "The Million Dollar Duck" (1971) opposite Dean Jones. She also appeared in commercials and took on the title role in the film version of Neil Simon's comedy hit "Star Spangled Girl" (1971),which turned out to be a major disappointment.
CBS gave her her own TV sitcom, "Funny Face" (1971),which replaced Melba Moore at the last minute. The show was a success, but Sandy had to leave the series due to severe headaches caused by a tumor on her optic nerve. She had to undergo a delicate operation and lost all vision in one eye. The show was revamped and retitled "The Sandy Duncan Show" (1972),but it failed to regain the audience and was canceled by mid-December.
After the demise of her second series, Sandy refocused on her strengths in musical comedy and maintained her profile as a guest star on variety shows and game shows. She also retook Broadway by storm, playing the title role in the musical "Peter Pan" (1979) and earning a Tony nomination. She followed this success by locking arms with Tommy Tune in the tuneful Broadway show "My One and Only" (1984).
Sandy also appeared again for Disney in the film "The Cat from Outer Space" (1978) opposite Ken Berry and provided a foxy voice for the animated feature "The Fox and the Hound" (1981). She garnered critical respect for her Emmy-nominated role in the epic mini-series "Roots" (1977) and took on a more serious tone in her work.
In the 1980s, Sandy became a household name once again with her popular Wheat Thins commercials, sharing the camera with her two sons, Jeffrey and Michael. She replaced Valerie Harper in the TV show "The Hogan Family" (1986) after Harper departed due to a contractual dispute.
In later years, Sandy hosted Thanksgiving Day parades, dance competitions, and teen pageants. She portrayed Roxie Hart on Broadway in "Chicago" (1999),headlined touring companies "Anything Goes" and "The King and I," and performed in the musical "No, No, Nanette" (2008). She was also featured in the films "Never Again" (2001) and played both a defense attorney and judge on the "Law & Order" shows.
Throughout her career, Sandy has been a volunteer for the non-profit organization "RFB&D" (Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic) and was a recipient of the National Rehabilitation Hospital Victory Award, which is given to individuals who exhibit exceptional courage and strength in the face of adversity.
