Born in Canton, Ohio, little Peggy Ann Garner would have a normal, happy life for only six years. That's when mother Virginia packed their suitcases and took the child to Hollywood, determined to make her a star. Combine Peggy's talent with her mother's cleverness, and what do you have? Peggy Ann Garner starring in In Name Only, Jane Eyre, Junior Miss, and most importantly A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. For the latter, she received a special Oscar, which immediately became her "favorite boyfriend," as she would say later with a smile.
Life was good. Everywhere Peggy and Virginia went, they were welcomed by an adoring crowd. They just couldn't get enough of their little darling. To the child who was accustomed to being shunted aside in favor of her prettier friend, Peggy became a role model with inner strength and a cheery disposition. To adults, she was the daughter they wished they had.
So why didn't Peggy continue starring in big-budget productions? The studio system changed almost overnight and many of their most beloved players were out on the street. Peggy was among them.
Not one to mope around, Peggy took to the stage, performing in plays around the country and on live-TV broadcasts. The talent was still there, and she did her work well.
Now nineteen, Peggy was crazy about singer Richard Hayes. They married, had a couple good years, then divorced. "We were just too young," says Richard. A few years later, she met actor Albert Salmi when they were taking the Broadway hit "Bus Stop" on the road. During the eleven months they worked together, Peggy fell in love with Albert. They married shortly after the tour ended and, within a couple years, her longtime dreams had come true: She was happily married, lived in a lovely California home, and had a baby girl of her own. They named the infant Catherine Ann Salmi, putting her initials together to form the nickname "Cas." For reasons that would later seem unimportant, Peggy divorced Albert after seven years of marriage. Soon after, she married real-estate man Kenyon Foster Brown. This was a very troubled marriage and lasted only a few years. She never married again, although indications were that she deeply regretted having divorced Albert.
Putting on a lovely smile, she brushed herself off and got on with life, learning the real estate business and becoming an agent. A few years later, her love of cars gave her another career opportunity -- that of fleet car executive for an automobile dealership. Peggy happily accepted the position and did so well in it that she got promoted. This was work she really enjoyed; but she still kept in touch with her other agent, the one who got her cast in television shows now and then and an occasional movie. Acting was Peggy's true love and always would be.
Thank goodness for that! Peggy's inclusion in a production's cast meant quality entertainment for us and supreme happiness for her.
For a more detailed biography of his much-loved lady, see the book Plain Beautiful: The Life of Peggy Ann Garner, published by BearManor Media. Its author, Sandra Grabman, can be reached at srgrabman@cableone.net.
Peggy's book
Fans' forum
Peggy's known works
Other Great Sites
Elizabeth's Reel Classics Site
Classic Movie Kids Site
Peggy's TV Tome Page
Peggy's Internet Movie Database Page
Young Hollywood Hall of Fame
Website of Peggy's biographer, Sandra Grabman
Peggy's 2nd husband, Albert Salmi
The Celebrity Cafe
