Mary Martin (1913-1990) was an American actress, singer and Broadway sensation, best for her roles on Broadway as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Peter in Peter Pan. Ms. Martin grew up in Weatherford, Texas and had an ear for recreating sounds from a young age, as well as a photographic memory. She met her first husband, Benjamin Hagman in high school and they married when she was just seventeen. Shortly after, she gave birth to her first child, Larry Hagman, who would become a notable actor, director, producer and household name.

Ms. Martin was a fast learner and took to dancing like a fish to water. She studied dance in California and attended the Franchon and Marco School of Theatre. Shortly after she was hired to sing at the Fox Theater in San Francisco and later the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles.

Inspired by her father to pursue her career, Ms. Martin left behind her husband in Texas and moved to Hollywood. In Tinseltown, she became known as ‘Audition Mary’ due to her endless drive and persistence in attending auditions. She quickly caught the attention of many prominent theater producers, including Oscar Hammerstein II.

In 1939, Mary Martin began her radio career as the vocalist on The Tuesday Night Party on CBS and by the following year, she was singing on NBC’s Good News of 1940. She later preformed for Kraft Music Hall (1942) on NBC and joined the cast of Stage Door Canteen (1942-1945) on CBS.

In 1940, Mary Martin married Richard Halliday, a drama critic for the New York World-Telegram and movie critic for the New York Daily News. Halliday would later produce and co-produce a handful of Mary Martin’s projects. In 1941, Mary Martin gave birth to their daughter, actress and model, Heller Halliday.

Perhaps best known for her time on Broadway, Ms. Martin made her debut in November 1938 in the cast of Cole Porter’s ‘Leave It to Me!’ where she truly shined singing “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” in this production – a song that would remain important to her throughout her lifetime.

Mary Martin performed in South Pacific (1949), and earned a Tony Award for the role as nurse Nellie Forbush. She went on to play Peter in Broadway’s Peter Pan and also achieved a Tony Award for this role. Additionally, Mary Martin starred in I Do! I Do! and received a Tony Award Nomination for Leading Actress in a Musical. From 1938 to 1943, Mary Marin appeared in nine different films, however, she preferred the thrill of preforming for live audiences on stage.

Her career would continue to include roles in many different Broadway productions and films. In 1960, Mary Martin received the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. In 1973, Martin was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1989.

A true pioneer for women in Broadway and Hollywood, Mary Martin’s legacy continues on through her timeless performances and endearing talent that she so tirelessly shared with the world.