Biography

Early life

Cathy Rigby was born in Los Alamitos, California on December 12, 1952. She has an older brother, Steve Rigby; older sister, Michelle; younger brother, Jeff; and a younger sister, Jill. She is the daughter of Anita & Paul Rigby.

Gymnastic career

Rigby's participation in the 1968 Summer Olympics as the highest-scoring American gymnast made her a favorite with American television audiences and helped to popularize gymnastics in America. She was U.S. National Gymnastic Champion in 1970 and 1972. She became the first American woman to win a medal at a World Gymnastics Championships, the silver medal on the balance beam at the 1970 Championships.

She also competed in the 1972 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team, but was hampered by injury. Prior to the games, she had been working on a move for the balance beam that was quite risky for the time: an aerial walkover, in which she somersaulted forwards. Because she was injured, she did not attempt this move during the competition and did not win a medal.

Rigby retired from gymnastics after the 1972 Summer Olympics. She married professional football player Tommy Mason, ran a successful gymnastics camp, had two sons, and began acting.

Acting career

In 1974, the producers of a showy, theater-in-the-round version of Peter Pan were trying to capitalize on her fame and skill when they offered her the title role. The shy gymnast 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 she could not only pull off playing Peter Pan, but that she actually enjoyed doing it.

In the mid-1970s, Rigby shattered an old taboo by appearing in a series of TV commercials for Stayfree maxi-pads created by Young & Rubicam copywriter Peter Cornish, thereby becoming the first celebrity to endorse a feminine hygiene product. Rigby then turned her efforts to television, working for 18 years as a commentator for ABC Sports and appearing in made-for-television movies. In 1976, she appeared in a role as a guest star Russian gymnast on the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man.

In 1981, Rigby starred as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. During that production, Rigby met her second husband, Tom McCoy. She credits McCoy with enabling her to fight bulimia, a disease which she had lived with since the end of her gymnastics career. She had two daughters, Theresa and Kaitlin, with her second husband. Other theatrical appearances included Annie Get Your Gun and Meet Me In St. Louis.

During the 1980s, Rigby began publicly speaking about her experiences with eating disorders. Rigby, who suffered from bulimia for 12 years, in an article she wrote for People Magazine in 1984, said: "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." According to a People Magazine interview in 1991, "twice she was hospitalized and nearly died from electrolyte imbalance."

In 1990, Rigby again appeared as Peter Pan on Broadway and later took the production on tour. Rigby received excellent reviews for her performance and was nominated for a Tony Award. She played the role again in 1998-1999. In 2002-2003, she played the lead in the touring production of the musical Seussical, but in 2004-2005 she again toured as Peter Pan, billing it as her farewell. Yet she returned to the role in 2008 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh and in 2009 at the Mansion Theater in Branson, Missouri.

In August of 2011, Rigby showed audiences that she "won't grow up" when she started another Peter Pan tour at the age of 60, continuing through 2013. In 2012, she appeared in American Girl's McKenna Shoots for The Stars, as McKenna's gymnastics coach. Rigby confirmed that she was leaving the role of Peter Pan for good when her tour concluded on April 28, 2013. 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."

In late August 2015, Rigby reprised her role once again as Peter Pan in a limited 15 day run at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver.

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.
• The greatest theatrical acclaim was given to Rigby when she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, for her 1990-91 performance as Peter Pan.
• In 1997, Rigby was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
• In 1999, the production of Peter Pan, of which Rigby was a member, was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
• In 2004, Rigby received a Distinguished Lifetime Service Award from The League of American Theatres & Producers.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]