Peggy Cummins was an Irish actress, born Augusta Margaret Diane Fuller on December 4, 1925, in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales. Her parents, Franklin Bland Fuller and Margaret Cummins, were Irish and had traveled to Wales during their vacation, seeking shelter from a storm. Through her father's side, Cummins was a great-granddaughter of the renowned architect and novelist James Franklin Fuller.
Raised and educated in Killiney, Dublin, Cummins began her theatrical career at a young age, attending the Abbey School of ballet and being spotted for a non-speaking role in a performance of John Webster's "The Duchess of Malfi". She made her London stage debut in 1938 and her film debut in 1940 in the drama "Dr. O'Dowd", where she played the role of Pat O'Dowd, the granddaughter of an estranged doctor.
Cummins continued to work in film and theatre throughout the 1940s, appearing in supporting roles and playing notable roles in films such as "English Without Tears" and "Welcome, Mr. Washington". In 1945, she was brought to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck, but was initially rejected for being too young. Her first leading role was in the film noir "Moss Rose" in 1947, followed by appearances in "The Late George Apley", "Escape", and "Green Grass of Wyoming".
Cummins returned to the United Kingdom to play a role in "That Dangerous Age" in 1949 and then appeared as the femme fatale Annie Laurie Starr in the cult classic "Gun Crazy" in 1950. She continued to work in British films throughout the 1950s, including "Night of the Demon" in 1957. In the early 1960s, Cummins appeared in comedies such as "Your Money or Your Wife", "Dentist in the Chair", and "In the Doghouse", which was her last film appearance.
After retiring from acting, Cummins devoted her time to the national charity Stars Organisation for Spastics, chairing the management committee of a holiday center for children with disabilities in Sussex. In 2008, the charity changed its name to Stars Foundation for Cerebral Palsy, and Cummins remained a volunteer.
