Peggy Ann Garner, a talented actress, was born on February 3, 1932, in Canton, Ohio, to a family with a strong military background. Her father, William H. Garner, was an English-born attorney who served as a U.S. Army officer during World War II, while her mother, Virginia, was a determined woman who introduced her daughter to the world of summer stock and modeling at a very young age.
Despite her parents' eventual divorce in 1947, Peggy went on to achieve fame as Francie Nolan in the 1945 film "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." However, her relationship with her mother was complicated, and she ultimately went to court to have her father appointed as her guardian.
As she entered her twenties, Peggy moved to New York to pursue a career on Broadway, where she spent much of the 1950s studying with the Actors Studio and appearing in various stage productions, including "The Man," "A Royal Family," and "Home is the Hero." She also received Harvard's Hasty Pudding Award for Woman of the Year in 1956.
Although her film career began to decline as she grew older, Peggy continued to work in stage and television productions, as well as a few other films. She also pursued a career in real estate and automobile sales, but always maintained a passion for acting.
In her personal life, Peggy was married and divorced three times, including a marriage to actor Albert Salmi, with whom she had a daughter, Catherine, who sadly passed away shortly after her mother's untimely death from cancer. Peggy's mother, Virginia, outlived both her only child and only grandchild, leaving behind a legacy of a talented and dedicated actress who left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.
