Peggy Webber, the legendary radio actress heard by millions, has sadly passed away at 100. She passed away on August 15 at an independent living facility in Napa, California.
Her son, Rob Sinskey, confirmed her death to The Hollywood Reporter, saying she died of natural causes. Peggy Webber may not have been a household name in the same way as some of the stars she worked alongside, but her career was extraordinary.
Born on September 15, 1925, in Laredo, Texas, she attended Tucson High School in Tucson, Arizona. Before Webber became a teenager, she had already found her passion in life: radio.
At 12, Webber made her radio debut, and by the 1940s, her voice had become a household name to radio audiences across America.
“In three years, her latex voice has supplied radio with 150 different characters on some 2,500 broadcasts,” Time Magazine wrote in a story about her in August 1946.
Her radio credits included popular programs such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, where she performed alongside Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Moreover, in 1944, she took on the famous role of Ilsa, originally played by Ingrid Bergman, in a radio adaptation of Casablanca.
Peggy Webber, legendary radio actress who worked with Alfred Hitchcock, dies at 100
Peggy Webber didn’t only stay behind the radio mic. She also transitioned to television, working with some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock.
In 1948, Welles cast Webber as Lady Macduff in his Macbeth adaptation. Years later, she appeared in Hitchcock’s 1956 movie The Wrong Man. She is also remembered as an early scream queen for her performance in the 1958 horror movie The Screaming Skull.
However, radio remained her biggest passion in life. In 1984, she founded California Artists Radio Theatre, helping keep the tradition of radio drama alive. She continued to work in radio up until her 90s.
“I’ve had a certain kind of dedication since I was young, and that dedication is what keeps me going,” Webber told L.A Weekly in 2015 about still working in radio: “It’s like when you have a child. You’ve been given the trust to take care of this creature, and I’ve always felt the same way about the opportunities that have been given to me — it’s a responsibility.”
After a career lasting nearly seven decades, Peggy Webber leaves behind an impressive legacy and a voice that will not soon be forgotten. Rest in peace.
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