Peter Foy
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Peter Foy (11 June 1925-17 February 2005) was the stage flight effects specialist who founded "Flying by Foy", most widely known for its work flying actors in the play Peter Pan.
Born in London, England, he began in show business as a child actor, and in one of his roles (as a Sea Witch in Where the Rainbow Ends) was called upon to fly. After serving in the Army, he began working for the British company that had flown him, Kirby's Flying Ballets, and sailed to New York in 1950 to stage the flying sequences in Peter Pan starring Jean Arthur. He flew many of her successors in the role, including Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan, and Cathy Rigby.
Other productions in which he was involved included The Flying Nun on television, Fantastic Voyage and The Wiz in movies, and The Lion King, Disney's Aida, and Dracula, The Musical on Broadway, and the Ice Capades.
An innovator, Foy constantly tinkered with improvements and invented new systems of staged flight for both greater freedom of movement and greater safety.
He founded Flying by Foy in 1957; in the 1960s he branched out from Broadway to Las Vegas shows.
He died in Las Vegas, Nevada.
At the time of his death, "Flying by Foy" was producing the flight effects for two Broadway-bound shows: Spamalot and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
