Not too many people can say that they practically share a birthday with Mickey Mouse. Mickey recently turned 90, and today Margaret Kerry celebrates her 90th birthday!
Born Peggy Lynch on May 11, 1929, she worked as an actress and dancer on the “Our Gang” comedies, which were part of “The Little Rascals” shorts by MGM from 1922-1944. In 1949, she was offered the role of Sharon Ruggles, the college-aged daughter on the ABC family sitcom “The Ruggles.” The show ended in June 1952 with the marriage of Sharon, which was a major television event at the time.
So you are probably thinking to yourself right now, “who is Margaret Kerry and what does she have to do with Mickey Mouse?!” Well, the answer is fairly simple. If you have seen the Disney animated classic “Peter Pan,” you have seen Margaret’s work in the movie. How so? She worked as a live-action reference model for a tiny pixie named Tinker Bell. Her work between 1951 to 1953 helped legendary animator Marc Davis get the animation and sequences for Tinker Bell to be just right. In addition to being a reference model for Tinker Bell, Margaret also voiced the red-headed mermaid in the movie. So the next time you watch “Peter Pan,” you will know who voiced the red-headed mermaid!
In addition to her work as an actress and dancer, Margaret has also had a successful voice-over career, using her skills in 21 different dialects and 48 various character voices in over 600 animated shows. Margaret can also be seen in many of the hilarious live-action segments that open and close the 139 episodes of “The New Three Stooges,” as well as be heard in the animated portion voicing all the kids, females, and various odd characters.
Margaret Kerry is also an author, and her book “Tinker Bell Talks: Tales of a Pixie Dusted Life,” is available now. Each short chapter is a complete story. The book is enhanced by 180 rare photos and artwork, as she talks about her life and career.
So from all of us at DAPS MAGIC, we wish Margaret Kerry a pixie dust filled day of magic on her 90th birthday!!
This post was written by Roger Rodriguez (@rgrabbit01). Please take a moment to with Margaret Kerry a very happy birthday in the comments below.
