Mary Martin12/1/1913: Future Broadway star born in Weatherford
On this day in 1913, Mary Martin, musical theater star, was born in Weatherford, Texas. Family and friends encouraged Mary to perform in local theater as a child, and she began taking voice lessons at age twelve. She first achieved fame on the New York stage when she appeared in Cole Porter's production Leave It To Me. Martin's rendition of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" soon endeared her to Broadway audiences. She is best known for her roles in the musicals One Touch of Venus, South Pacific, Peter Pan, The Sound of Music, and I Do, I Do. Her lifetime achievements brought Martin a coveted award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in 1989. Martin died in California in 1990 and is buried at East Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford.