Sandy Duncan at 70.
The above touching title quote, spoken by a legend of the theater describing actress Sandy Duncan, would probably go unchallenged by most of Sandy’s fans.
Armed with a broad smile and energetic screen personality, Duncan is known for playing perky comic characters that radiate enthusiasm whether on TV, in film, or theater.
“That bubbly behavior is just a quality I brought to many characters and I got kind of stuck with it,” said Duncan from her home in Connecticut. “I’m friendly but rather shy and quiet away from the cameras.”
Born and raised in Texas, Duncan nevertheless credits her upbringing for imparting some professional traits.
“Texans are notoriously funny,” she noted. “They will also tell you what’s on their mind, even if it’s not politically correct. They are direct and honest, and I think I’ve brought those qualities to my work.”
Born in a Henderson (Texas) hospital, the family lived in nearby New London where young Sandy later took dance lessons.
“After my first recital when I was all of 5-yearsold, I knew I wanted to perform. We moved to Tyler when I was 9 and I began working professionally at 12. I did musical theater in Dallas in the summers where the ensemble cast was drawn from local actors, but big stars like Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, and Donald O’Connor were also brought in. So I got to learn from these hugely talented performers.”
Leaving Texas in 1965 when she was 19, Duncan continued to work in New York theater.
“I was doing a show called ‘The Boyfriend,’ a light musical comedy for which I got a Tony nomination,” she recalled. “Fred Silverman, the head of CBS, came to see it and that led to a TV series and two movies."
“The Million Dollar Duck” and “Star Spangled Girl" were released in 1971, while “Funny Face” premiered on CBS in the fall of the same year. It was rebooted as the short-lived “The Sandy Duncan Show” in 1972.
In addition to her TV and film work, which included a starring role in Disney’s 1978 “The Cat from Outer Space,” Duncan has been a prolific stage performer adept at singing, dancing…. and flying.
“The most gratifying experience of my career was playing Peter Pan on stage,” Duncan said of her Broadway role in the 197981 production in which she performed aerial acrobatics suspended perilously 20-feet above the stage by piano wire. “Although it was extremely difficult physically, and probably responsible for later back trouble I had, I never missed a performance.”
During one show, a special guest attended – Mary Martin, who had received both a Tony and Emmy award for playing Peter Pan in the 1950s.
“We met after the show, hugged, and I said ‘You’re my Peter Pan,’” recalled Duncan. “And she said ‘Well, you’re my Peter Pan!’ About a month later, she introduced me on a TV special honoring Broadway.”
It was during that broadcast when Martin affectionately referred to Duncan as a "darling, warm, contagious spirit."
“She was lovely, as she was known to be,” said Duncan, who turned 70 earlier this year.
In addition to her home in Connecticut, Duncan maintains an apartment in New York City where her husband works. She often takes the train to New York theaters, but you’ll likely find her in the audience rather than on stage these days.
“I’m still offered a lot of projects and did a couple this year,” she says. “So I don’t want to say I’ve retired. But unless something comes along that really excites me, I usually pass. I love the peaceful home life now.”