Image of Baby Peggy

Baby Peggy

Silent moppet star Jackie Coogan, immortalized as Charles Chaplin's The Kid (1921), had only one screen rival during the early 1920s, and that was none other than Baby Peggy. She was "discovered" while visiting the Century Studios lot on Sunset Boulevard with her mother when she was a mere 19-months-old and went on to appear in nearly 150 shorts (between 1920 and 1923) and nine feature films during her silent heyday. Often considered a precursor to Shirley Temple, Baby Peggy's most popular film vehicle was the child classic Captain January (1924), which would be made a decade later as a vehicle for Temple. She was born Peggy-Jean Montgomery in 1918 of acting stock. Her father, Jack Montgomery, was a cowboy for years all over the western states. He ended up in the movies as a stuntman and extra driving stagecoaches and buckboards. He supported himself as Tom Mix's double, but never achieved the rugged stardom he yearned for himself. In fact, his daughter was the one who became the celebrity and breadwinner. Many of Baby Peggy's popular comedies were parodies of movies that grown-up stars had made, and she delightfully imitated such legends as Rudolph Valentino, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford and Mae Murray. Her first feature-length film was Penrod (1922). Her first film with Universal, The Darling of New York (1923), shot when she was 3-1/2-years-old, was a solid hit. A few more, including Helen's Babies (1924), were also certifiable winners. However, by the age of 8, she was finished. Her fortune reportedly was depleted by her parents (similar to the Jackie Coogan situation) and, within a short time, she was forced to turn to the vaudeville circuit for survival. A comeback in early talkies with the new moniker "Peggy Montgomery" was very short-lived. Her credits, as a result, are often mixed with another actress named "Peggy Montgomery", who was a western ingénue for many years. The former child star lived in dire straits and suffered from nervous breakdowns and near-poverty for many years until she found a new and unexpectedly successful career as a book publisher and writer, using the pseudonym "Diana Serra Cary". As the author of "Hollywood Posse" (1975) and, later, "Hollywood's Children", she commented on her youthful career, post-stardom years, child stars in general, and Hollywood history in all its fascinating glory. Her own autobiography, "Whatever Happened to Baby Peggy?", was released in 1996.


Read bio at tmdb | Read bio at Wikipedia
Born:
Oct 29, 1918 In San Diego, California, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
29
First Appeared:
In the movie Sea Shore Shapes 1921-01-02
Latest Project:
Movie Showbiz Kids 2020-07-14
Known For
Filmography
Movie Showbiz Kids Self (as Diana Serra Cary) 2020-07-14
Movie Baby Peggy: The Elephant in the Room Herself 2012-09-05
Movie Fragments: Surviving Pieces of Lost Films Herself 2011-04-03
Movie Girl 27 Self 2007-07-27
Movie Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl Self - Clara's Co-Star in 'Helen's Babies' 1999-06-14
Movie Hollywood’s Children Self 1982-02-24
Movie Having Wonderful Time (uncredited) 1938-07-01
Movie Souls at Sea Bit Role (uncredited) 1937-09-03
Movie True Confession Autograph Hunter (uncredited) 1937-12-24
Movie Ah, Wilderness! Girl at Graduation (uncredited) 1935-12-25
Movie Eight Girls in a Boat Hortense 1934-01-05
Movie The Return of Chandu Judy Allen 1934-10-01
Movie Hollywood on Parade Self 1932-06-05
Movie April Fool Irma Goodman - a Child 1926-11-15
Movie Peg o' the Mounted Peg 1924-02-27
Movie The Law Forbids 1924-04-07
Movie Such Is Life The Little Match Girl 1924-01-30
Movie Helen's Babies Toddie 1924-10-11
Movie Captain January Captain January 1924-07-06
Movie The Family Secret Peggy Holmes 1924-09-28
Movie Hollywood Baby Peggy Montgomery 1923-08-19
Movie Sweetie The Little Newspaper Vendor 1923-04-04
Movie The Darling of New York Santussa 1923-12-03
Movie Carmen, Jr. 1923-08-29
Movie Circus Clowns 1922-01-25
Movie The Little Rascal Baby Peggy 1922-05-24
Movie Sea Shore Shapes 1921-01-02
Movie Brownie's Little Venus 1921-09-13
Movie Her Circus Man 1921-03-09