- Peggy Ryan
Infobox actor
name = Peggy Ryan
imagesize =
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birthname = Margaret O'Rene Ryan
birthdate =August 28 ,1924
location =Long Beach, California
deathdate = death date and age|2004|10|30|1924|8|28
deathplace =Las Vegas, Nevada
height =
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homepage =
notable role =
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spouse =James Cross , Ray McDonald, Eddie ShermanMargaret O'Rene "Peggy" Ryan (
28 August 1924 ,Long Beach, California –30 October 2004 ,Las Vegas, Nevada ) was an American dancer who starred in a series of movie musicals atUniversal Studios , tapping and clowning withDonald O'Connor .Her parents were
vaudeville ians, "The Merry Dancing Ryans", and Peggy joined them onstage before she was two years old. Her singing, acting, and dancing skills were noticed byGeorge Murphy , who helped her get a role in 1937's "Top of the Town". Her first pairing with O'Connor was 1942's "What's Cookin'?", and they appeared in films together throughoutWorld War II .She married
James Cross in 1945; they were divorced in 1952. She left Universal and was paired with dancer Ray McDonald for 1949's "There's a Girl in My Heart" and "Shamrock Hill", and 1953's "All Ashore". They wed in 1953 and toured together in a nightclub act before being divorced in 1957.Her third wedding, in 1958, was to Hawaii columnist Eddie Sherman, following which she left movies for
choreography and semi-retirement. Sherman adopted her two children from her previous marriages. She was brought back to the small screen to play a recurring role as secretary Jenny Sherman, in "Hawaii Five-O " from 1969 to 1976.In later years she trained Las Vegas showgirls in tap dancing. Her last public performance, at her 80th birthday party, was a hilarious song-and-dance routine for her former Universal studio colleagues. She continued to teach tap until two days before her death at the age of 80 from the effects of two
stroke s.She was survived by two children and five grandchildren.
Credits
*"
The Wedding of Jack and Jill " - 1930
*"Top of the Town " - 1937
*"Women Men Marry " - 1937
*"Billy Rose's Casa Mañana Revue " - 1938
*"The Flying Irishman " - 1939
*"She Married a Cop " - 1939
*"The Grapes of Wrath" - 1940
*"Sailor's Lady " - 1940
*"What's Cookin'? " - 1942
*"Girls' Town" - 1942
*"Miss Annie Rooney " - 1942
*"Private Buckaroo " - 1942
*"Give Out, Sisters " - 1942
*"Get Hep to Love " - 1942
*"When Johnny Comes Marching Home " - 1942
*"Mister Big" - 1943
*"Top Man " - 1943
*"Chip Off the Old Block " - 1944
*"Follow the Boys " - 1944 (brief appearance)
*"This Is the Life" - 1944
*"The Merry Monahans " - 1944
*"Babes on Swing Street " - 1944
*"Bowery to Broadway " - 1944
*"Here Come The Co-Eds " - 1945
*"Patrick the Great " - 1945
*"That's the Spirit " - 1945
*"On Stage Everybody " - 1945
*"Men in Her Diary " - 1945
*"There's a Girl in My Heart " - 1949
*"Shamrock Hill " - 1949
*"All Ashore " - 1953
*"Hawaii Five-O " - 1968 (television series)External links
*imdb name|id=0752787|name=Peggy Ryan
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