Martha Wentworth

Martha Wentworth
Wentworth in The Stranger (1946)
Born
Verna Martha Wentworth

(1889-06-02)June 2, 1889
New York City, U.S.
DiedMarch 8, 1974(1974-03-08) (aged 84)
Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1920s–1966

Verna Martha Wentworth (June 2, 1889 – March 8, 1974) was an American actress. Her vocal variety led to her being called the "Actress of 100 Voices".[1]

Biography

Wentworth was born on June 2, 1889, in New York City. After graduating from public school, she attended the National School of Expression. She was one of Minnie Maddern Fiske's proteges and appeared in several stage productions, beginning when she was 17 years old.[2]

Wentworth's long radio career began in the early 1920s. She played The Wintergreen Witch on The Cinnamon Bear (1937) radio program,[3]: 76  Annie Wood and Mrs. Littlefield on Crime Classics (1953), and Ma Danields on The Gallant Heart (1944). She portrayed Joe Penner's mother on The Park Avenue Penners.[3]: 265  She also had semi-regular roles on Broadway Is My Beat, On Stage, The Witch's Tale,[3]: 356  The Baby Snooks Show,[3]: 32  and The Abbott and Costello Show.[3] She voiced Mama Katzenjammer in the Katzenjammer Kids adaptation of The Captain and the Kids.

In the 1940s, Wentworth became a film actress in several Red Ryder Western films. She is in Lassie as neighbor Bertha, first aired on March 22, 1959's season 5 episode 29. She voiced roles in two Walt Disney Productions: Nanny, Queenie the Cow and Lucy the Goose in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and Madame Mim in The Sword in the Stone (1963), her final credited film appearance.

Wentworth died on March 8, 1974, aged 84.

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ Hischak, Thomas S. (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 221. ISBN 9780786486946. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  2. ^ "Ether Etchings". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. August 26, 1934. p. Part II - Page 4. Retrieved January 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b c d e Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
  5. ^ "A Mel Blanc Discovery". February 18, 2021.
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