Cathleen Roxanne Rigby (later Mason, later McCoy; born December 12, 1952), known as Cathy Rigby, is an actress, speaker, and former artistic gymnast. Her performance in the 1968 Summer Olympics helped to popularize the sport of gymnastics in the United States.
After her retirement from gymnastics, Rigby became a stage and television actress. She is most noted for the role of Peter Pan, which she played for more than 30 years. She also became a public speaker on the subject of eating disorder, which she struggled with and overcame.[1][2]
Rigby competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics but was hampered by injury. Prior to the Games, she had been working on a "front aerial walkover"—a balance-beam skill that was quite risky for the time—but, because she was injured, she did not attempt this move during the competition, and she did not win a medal. She retired from gymnastics after the 1972 Olympics.[1]
Acting career
In 1974, the producers of a theater-in-the-round version of Peter Pan offered Rigby the title role. Rigby commented that she was "scared to death" during rehearsals; only 20 and just a year into "retirement," she had no idea what she would be doing with the rest of her life when the role came along. To her surprise, she discovered that she enjoyed playing Peter Pan.[4]
In the mid-1970s, Rigby shattered an old taboo by appearing in a series of TV commercials for Stayfreemaxi pads created by VMLY&R copywriter Peter Cornish, thereby becoming the first celebrity to endorse a feminine hygiene product. She then worked for 18 years as a commentator for ABC Sports and appeared in made-for-television movies. In 1976, she guest-starred as a Russian gymnast on the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man.
In 1990, Rigby again appeared as Peter Pan on Broadway and later took the production on tour. She received excellent reviews for her performance and was nominated for a Tony Award.[5] She played the role again in 1998–1999. In 2002–2003, she played the Cat in the Hat in the touring production of the musical Seussical, and in 2004–2005, she again toured as Peter Pan, billing it as her farewell.[6] Yet she returned to the role in 2008 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, and in 2009 at the Mansion Theater in Branson, Missouri.[7][8]
In August 2011, Rigby started another Peter Pan tour at the age of 60, continuing through 2013.[9] In 2012, she appeared in American Girl's An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for The Stars, as McKenna's gymnastics coach.[10] Rigby confirmed that she was leaving the role of Peter Pan for good when her tour concluded on April 28, 2013.[11] She said, "No, we don't say goodbye, because saying goodbye means forgetting, and I'm not forgetting, I'm just going to find another adventure."
After retiring from gymnastics, Rigby married professional football player Tommy Mason in 1972, with whom she had two sons. She and Mason divorced in 1981. While acting in The Wizard of Oz, she met her second husband, Tom McCoy, whom she credited with helping her fight bulimia nervosa.[1][14] She and McCoy had two daughters, Theresa and Kaitlin.
During the 1980s, she began speaking publicly about her experiences with eating disorders. She suffered from bulimia for 12 years and wrote in an article for People in 1984: "I wanted to be perfect in my attitude and in my weight. Inside I was going crazy. I probably consumed 10,000 calories a day or more in fast foods. I can tell you where every McDonald's and Jack in the Box was along the way (to my voice lessons)—and every bathroom where I could get rid of the food."[15] According to a People interview in 1991, "twice she was hospitalized and nearly died from electrolyte imbalance."[16]
Awards and honors
A multiple-exposure image of Rigby on the balance beam was included on the Voyager Golden Record as an example of the range of human motion.
In 1979, the supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Rigby's name and picture.[17]
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