Mary Badham (born October 7, 1952) is an American actress who portrayed Jean Louise "Scout" Finch in ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a 1960 Southern Gothic novel by American author Harper Lee. It became instantly successful after its release; in the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' ...

'' (1962), for which she was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

. At the time, Badham (aged 10) was the youngest actress ever nominated in this category.

Career

Mary Badham had no film acting experience before being cast in ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. The

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

in her category went to another child actress,

Patty Duke Anna Marie Duke (December 14, 1946 – March 29, 2016), known professionally as Patty Duke, was an American actress. Over the course of her acting career, she was the recipient of an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ...

, for ''

The Miracle Worker ''The Miracle Worker'' refers to a broadcast, a play and various other adaptations of Helen Keller's 1903 autobiography '' The Story of My Life''. The first of these works was a 1957 ''Playhouse 90'' broadcast written by William Gibson and sta ...

''. During filming, Badham became particularly close to actor

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

, who played Scout's father, Atticus Finch; she kept in contact with him, always calling him "Atticus," until his death in 2003. Peck called her "Scout" in return.Mary Badham Official Website: "50th Anniversary"
; accessed July 16, 2015. 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 Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...

. She also appeared in the films ''

This Property Is Condemned ''This Property Is Condemned'' is a 1966 American drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Kate Reid, Charles Bronson, Robert Blake and Mary Badham. The screenplay, inspired by the 1946 one-act play of ...

'' and '' Let's Kill Uncle'' before retiring from the acting profession. In 2005, at the urging of actor/writer/director Cameron Watson, Badham came out of retirement to play an offbeat cameo opposite

Keith Carradine Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor. In film he is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's ''Nashville'', E. J. Bellocq in Louis Malle's ''Pretty Baby'', and Mickey in Alan Rudolph's '' Choose Me.'' ...

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''. Badham made her tour debut as a stage actor portraying Mrs. Dubose in the U.S. national tour of

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, playwright and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized f ...

's stage adaptation of ''

'' on March 27, 2022.

Personal life

Badham is the younger sister of director

John Badham John MacDonald Badham (born August 25, 1939) is an American film and television director, best known for directing the films ''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977), ''Dracula (1979 film), Dracula'' (1979), ''Blue Thunder'' (1983), ''WarGames'' (1983), ...

. , 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. In 2012, she attended a screening of ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' with President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

at the White House to mark the 50th anniversary of its release. In 2015, she defended the release of

Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926 – February 19, 2016) was an American novelist whose 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and became a classic of modern American literature. She assisted her close friend Truman ...

's first draft of ''

Go Set a Watchman ''Go Set a Watchman'' is a novel by Harper Lee that was published in 2015 by HarperCollins (US) and Heinemann (publisher), Heinemann (UK). Written before her only other published novel, ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1960), ''Go Set a Watchman'' was ...

'' and its portrayal of an older, more bigoted, Atticus Finch.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Badham, Mary 1952 births Living people Actresses from Birmingham, Alabama American child actresses American film actresses

Career

Personal life

Filmography

See also

References

Further reading

External links