Trivia

Her singing voice in The Sound of Music (1965) was dubbed by Margery MacKay, ironic in that Wood was known primarily as a singing actress for much of her career, having originated soprano leads in musicals such as "Maytime" and "Bitter Sweet." It was initially assumed that Wood would sing for herself as the Mother Abbess, but she was in her seventies, and her pitch and vibrato had deteriorated to the point where she was unable to meet the considerable demands of the score.

Known for her philanthropic work, she also wrote newspaper and magazine articles on theater and acting.

Member of the Algonquin Round Table.

Peggy's role in the operetta "Bitter Sweet" (1929) was written for her by Noël Coward.

Is one of 26 actresses to have received an Academy Award nomination for their performance in a musical; hers being The Sound of Music (1965). The others, in chronological order, are: Bessie Love (The Broadway Melody (1929)), Grace Moore (One Night of Love (1934)), Jean Hagen (Singin' in the Rain (1952)), Marjorie Rambeau (Torch Song (1953)), Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones (1954)), Deborah Kerr (The King and I (1956)), Rita Moreno (West Side Story (1961)), Gladys Cooper (My Fair Lady (1964)), Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), and Victor/Victoria (1982)), Debbie Reynolds (The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)), Carol Channing (Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)), Kay Medford (Funny Girl (1968)), Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl (1968)), Liza Minnelli (Cabaret (1972)), Ronee Blakley (Nashville (1975)), Lily Tomlin (Nashville (1975)), Ann-Margret (Tommy (1975)), Lesley Ann Warren (Victor/Victoria (1982)), Amy Irving (Yentl (1983)), Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge! (2001)), Queen Latifah (Chicago (2002)), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago (2002)), Renée Zellweger (Chicago (2002)), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls (2006)), Penélope Cruz (Nine (2009)), Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables (2012)), and Meryl Streep (Into the Woods (2014)).

Before Wood was cast as Naomi in The Story of Ruth (1960), Irene Dunne was offered the role. One of Wood's biggest career successes was her title role in Mama (1949), the television adaptation of one of Dunne's most popular films, I Remember Mama (1948).

Like Vivian Vance she helped promote the launch of Playhouse-in-the-Mall years before its founder and producer Robert Ludlam gained fame as a novelist. (1960)

Peggy Wood co-wrote the play 'Miss Quis'.

She was a member of the Algonquin Round Table ( a group of New York City writers, critics, actors, and wits).

Wood was an early member of the Actors' Equity Association, spending nearly 50 years onstage, beginning in the chorus and becoming known as a Broadway singer and star.

Her final screen appearance was as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music (1965), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture. She was thrilled to be in the movie, but she knew she could no longer sing "Climb Ev'ry Mountain". She was dubbed (for singing) by Margery McKay. In her autobiography, Marni Nixon, who appeared in the film as Sister Sophia, said Peggy especially liked McKay's singing voice because she sounded as Peggy did in her younger days.

According to a 1920 profile, Wood also wrote plays "in collaboration with her father and with Samuel Merwin." S.

She wrote a biography of actor John Drew, Jr. and a novel titled The Star Wagon.

She studied voice in France with soprano Emma Calvé.

Wood made her stage debut in 1910, as part of the chorus for Naughty Marietta.

She is best remembered for her performance as the title character in the CBS television series Mama (1949-1957), for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Serie.

From the late 1920s until the late 1930s, Wood had lead roles in musicals staged in London and New York. She was selected by Noël Coward to star in the original London production of his wildly successful operetta Bitter Sweet.

Her first autobiography How Young You Look was published by Farrar and Rinehart in 1941. The updated version Arts and Flowers appeared in 1963.

Wood received numerous awards for her theatrical work and for a while was president of the American National Theater and Academy (ANTA).

Wood was married and widowed twice.