Mary Badham

Mary Badham

Mary Badham speaking at Birmingham-Southern College in 2012
Born (1952-10-07) October 7, 1952
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1962–1966
Spouse(s) Richard Wilt (1975-present)
Children 2

Mary Badham (born October 7, 1952) is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[1] At the time, Badham (aged 10) was the youngest actress ever nominated in this category.[2]

Career

Mary Badham had no film acting experience before being cast in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Oscar in her category went to another child actress, Patty Duke for The Miracle Worker. During filming, Badham became particularly close to actor Gregory Peck, who played Scout's father, Atticus Finch; she kept in touch with him, always calling him 'Atticus', until his death in 2003.[1][3][4]

Badham also played Sport Sharewood in "The Bewitchin' Pool", the final episode of the original Twilight Zone series. Portions of her dialogue were dubbed in post production by voice actress June Foray. She also appeared in the films This Property Is Condemned and Let's Kill Uncle before retiring from the acting profession.[3]

In 2005, at the urging of actor/writer/director Cameron Watson, Badham came out of retirement to play an offbeat cameo opposite Keith Carradine for his film Our Very Own. Watson stated he would not accept any other actress for the part. He had managed to contact her in Monroeville, Alabama, where she had been invited to attend a stage version of To Kill a Mockingbird.[3]

Current life

Badham is the younger sister of director John Badham.[5]

As of 2014, Badham was an art restorer and a college testing coordinator. She is married to Richard W. Wilt, dean of Library and Educational Support Services at Lehigh Carbon Community College, and the mother of two children. She has traveled around the world recalling her experiences making To Kill a Mockingbird, while expounding the book's messages of tolerance and compassion.[1]

In 2012, she attended a screening with President Barack Obama at the White House to mark the 50th anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird.[3]

In 2015, Badham defended Harper Lee's new novel, Go Set a Watchman, and its portrayal of an older, more bigoted,[6][7] Atticus Finch.[8]

Filmography

Year Title Director RoleNotesRef.
1962 To Kill a Mockingbird Robert Mulligan Jean Louise "Scout" Finch [9]
1963 Dr. Kildare (TV series) Elliot Silverstein Cora Sue Henty [10]
1964 The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) Joseph M. Newman Sport Sharewood The Bewitchin' Pool (1964) [11]
1966 This Property Is Condemned Sydney Pollack Willie Starr [12]
1966 Let's Kill Uncle William Castle Chrissie [13]
1998Fearful Symmetry Charles Kiselyak Herself Documentary on To Kill a Mockingbird
2005 Our Very Own Cameron Watson Mrs. Nutbush
2015Earl Hamner Storyteller Ray Castro Jr Herself Documentary

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Badham, Mary. "How playing Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird changed my life". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Chilton, Martin. "Robert Duvall hails return of Harper Lee". telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mary Badham Official Website - "50th Anniversary" Accessed 2015-07-16
  4. ↑ "Mary Badham Q&A", Female First, Febr. 17, 2012. Accessed 2015-07-16
  5. ↑ IMDb - Mary Badham Biography Accessed 2015-07-13
  6. ↑ Bruinius, Harry. "With 'Go Set a Watchman,' Atticus Finch shows complexities of racism in America (+video)". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  7. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/19/opinion/sunday/our-racial-moment-of-truth.html
  8. ↑ Galo, Sarah. "An Evening with the Real Scout Finch". The New Republic. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  9. ↑ Kimble, Lindsay. "Mary Badham, 'Scout' in 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird, Reads Excerpts from Harper Lee's New Novel in N.Y.C.". people.com. Time Inc. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  10. ↑ BWW news desk. "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD's 'Scout' Mary Badham Visits the White Theatre This Weekend". broadwayworld.com. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  11. ↑ Teussell, Robert. "Spend New Year’s Eve in ‘The Twilight Zone’". kansascity.com. The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  12. ↑ Kazek, Kelly. "Former Alabama child actors: Where are they now?". al.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  13. ↑ Kazek, Kelly. "Former Alabama child actors: Where are they now?". al.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved 24 July 2015.

Further reading

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