Interviewed in "Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television" by Tom Goldrup and Jim Goldrup (McFarland, 2002).
Mary Badham is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Scout in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.
Badham was born on October 7, 1952, in Birmingham, Alabama, to parents William and Margaret Badham. She has two sisters, Jane and Elizabeth. Badham was educated at the Birmingham Academy of Dramatic Art.
Badham’s acting career began when she was just 10 years old, when she was cast as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. She went on to appear in a number of films and television shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including The Waltons, The Bionic Woman, and Roots: The Next Generations.
Badham’s net worth is estimated to be $2 million. She has been married twice; first to actor John McMartin from 1976 to 1981, and then to director William Friedkin from 1982 to present. Badham has two children from her first marriage, Kate and Margaret.
General Info
Full Name
Mary Badham
Date Of Birth
October 7, 1952
Profession
Conservator-restorer, Actor
Nationality
American
Family
Children
Anthony, Anna
Parents
Mary Iola Hewitt, Henry Lee Badham Jr
Siblings
John Badham
Accomplishments
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Movies
Our Very Own, Let's Kill Uncle, This Property Is Condemned, To Kill a Mockingbird
"As we all do, we look back on things and see our parents in a new light. We see their flaws, sometimes understand their flaws, and still love them." (Concerning a racist Atticus Finch portrayal in Go Set a Watchman)
2
This story (To Kill a Mockingbird) has so much to say but the lessons haven't been learned yet". "If you think racism and bigotry don't exist, look around. Racism is a learned thing and we need to be diligent about teaching our children the right thing.
3
"The business has changed a lot and there was a lot of foul language". "It was not what I wanted to do. I had lived like an adult since I was 9, and it was important for me to find out who I was." (On why she retired from acting at 15)
4
c. 1986: "My brother John tells me the movie profession has changed completely and that I should stay where I am. He insists that I'd have to study acting, but I was told never to take lessons - that I was an instinctive actress. Most of the performances I see on TV and in movies are so self-conscious and overacted. I would think a natural actress would be welcome.
Facts
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Fact
1
Attended a screening with President Barack Obama in 2012 at the White House to mark 'To Kill a Mockingbird''s 50th anniversary.
2
Retired from acting and now lives near Richmond, Virginia. She is married (since circa 1975) to a school teacher and spends most of her time raising her two children and working. [1997]
3
Interviewed in "Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television" by Tom Goldrup and Jim Goldrup (McFarland, 2002).
4
Attended the 2007 "Twilight" Zone Convention at the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, August 4-5, 2007.
5
According to Sondra Locke's autobiography "The Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly", Mary auditioned for the role of Mick in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), the part eventually played by Locke.
6
Attended the 2006 "Twilight Zone" Convention at the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, August 12-13, 2006.
7
Had no acting experience prior to getting a role in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). She was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category.
8
Works as an art restorer and a college testing coordinator. Has recently agreed to do movies on a very limited basis, depending on whether she likes the script and crew.
9
At present she is an art restorer and a college testing coordinator. She also travels around the world recalling her wonderful experiences making To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) while expounding on the book's messages of tolerance and compassion.
After 39 years, Mary came out of retirement to play an offbeat cameo opposite Keith Carradine at the urging of actor/writer/director Cameron Watson for his film Our Very Own (2005). Watson stated he would not accept any other actress for the part. Mary has since indicated that she won't close the door on other acting assignments that might come her way. Watson managed to track Mary down in Monroeville, Alabama, where she had been invited to attend a stage version of "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Her father was a retired army officer who, by the time of her birth, had become president of Bessemer Steel Co. Her English-born mother had been an actress before her marriage.
15
Remained friends with Gregory Peck after the filming of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and still called him Atticus (after Peck's character in the film). Keeps in touch with Phillip Alford (her screen brother, "Jem") and Brock Peters ("Tom Robinson", the accused).
16
For a while, she was the youngest nominee for the Best Supporting Actress award (for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)) at age 10. Then 9-year-old Tatum O'Neal won for her role on Paper Moon (1973) and now holds the record.
17
Younger sister (by 14 years) of director John Badham.
