Mary Badham

Mary Badham (born October 7, 1952) is an American actress who portrayed Jean Louise "Scout" Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[1] At the time, Badham (aged 10) was the youngest actress ever nominated in this category.[2]

Mary Badham
Mary Badham speaking at Birmingham-Southern College in 2012
Born (1952-10-07) October 7, 1952
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
OccupationChild actress, art restorer
Years active1962–1966, 2005
Spouse(s)
Richard Wilt
​
(m. 1975)​
Children2

Career

Mary Badham had no film acting experience before being cast in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Oscar in her category went to another child actress, Patty Duke for The Miracle Worker. During filming, Badham became particularly close to actor Gregory Peck, who played Scout's father, Atticus Finch; she kept in touch with him, always calling him 'Atticus', until his death in 2003.[1][3][4]

Badham played Sport Sharewood in "The Bewitchin' Pool", the final episode of the original Twilight Zone series. Due to technical issues, her voice in outdoor scenes was dubbed in post production by adult voice actress June Foray. She also appeared in the films This Property Is Condemned and Let's Kill Uncle before retiring from the acting profession.[3]

In 2005, at the urging of actor/writer/director Cameron Watson, Badham came out of retirement to play an offbeat cameo opposite Keith Carradine for his film, Our Very Own. Watson stated he would not accept any other actress for the part. He had managed to contact her in Monroeville, Alabama, where she had been invited to attend a stage version of To Kill a Mockingbird.[3]

Personal life

Badham is the younger sister of director John Badham.[5]

As of 2014, Badham was an art restorer and a college testing coordinator. She is married to Richard W. Wilt, dean of Library and Educational Support Services at Lehigh Carbon Community College, and the mother of two children. She has traveled around the world recalling her experiences making To Kill a Mockingbird, while expounding the book's messages of tolerance and compassion.[1]

In 2012, she attended a screening with President Barack Obama at the White House to mark the 50th anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird.[3] In 2015, she defended the release of Harper Lee's first draft of Go Set a Watchman and its portrayal of an older, more bigoted,[6][7] Atticus Finch.[8]

Filmography
YearTitleDirectorRoleNotesRef.
1962To Kill a MockingbirdRobert MulliganJean Louise "Scout" Finch[9]
1963Dr. KildareElliot SilversteinCora Sue Henty[10]
1964The Twilight ZoneJoseph M. NewmanSport Sharewood"The Bewitchin' Pool"[11]
1966This Property Is CondemnedSydney PollackWillie Starr[12]
1966Let's Kill UncleWilliam CastleChrissie[12]
1998Fearful SymmetryCharles KiselyakHerselfDocumentary on To Kill a Mockingbird
2005Our Very OwnCameron WatsonMrs. Nutbush
2015Earl Hamner StorytellerRay Castro JrHerselfDocumentary
2019Erasing His Past Jared CohnBarbara[13]

See also

References
  1. Badham, Mary. "How playing Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird changed my life". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  2. Chilton, Martin. "Robert Duvall hails return of Harper Lee". telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  3. Mary Badham Official Website: "50th Anniversary" Archived 2015-08-10 at the Wayback Machine; accessed July 16, 2015.
  4. February 2012, 17. "Mary Badham Q&A". www.femalefirst.co.uk. Retrieved Oct 24, 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. Mary Badham biography, imdb.com; accessed March 2, 2018.
  6. Bruinius, Harry. "With 'Go Set a Watchman,' Atticus Finch shows complexities of racism in America (+video)". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  7. Wilkerson, Isabel (18 July 2015). "Opinion - Our Racial Moment of Truth" – via NYTimes.com.
  8. Galo, Sarah. "An Evening with the Real Scout Finch". The New Republic. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  9. Kimble, Lindsay. "Mary Badham, 'Scout' in 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird, Reads Excerpts from Harper Lee's New Novel in N.Y.C." people.com. Time Inc. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  10. BWW news desk. "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD's 'Scout' Mary Badham Visits the White Theatre This Weekend". broadwayworld.com. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  11. Teussell, Robert. "Spend New Year's Eve in 'The Twilight Zone'". kansascity.com. The Kansas City Star. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  12. Kazek, Kelly. "Former Alabama child actors: Where are they now?". al.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  13. "Mary Badham". IMDb. Retrieved Oct 24, 2020.

Further reading
  • Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. p. 30-37. ISBN 1476613702.
  • Dye, David (1988). Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., p. 7.
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