Kathryn Beaumont
Kathryn Beaumont | |
|---|---|
| File:Kathryn Beaumont.webp | |
| Born | 27 June 1938[1] |
| Education | University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1944–2005, 2010–present |
| Known for | Alice in Wonderland Peter Pan |
| Spouse |
Allan Levine (m. 1985) |
| Awards | Disney Legend (1998) |
Kathryn Beaumont Levine (born 27 June 1938)[1] is a British actress. She is best known for voicing Alice in Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Wendy Darling in Peter Pan (1953), for which she was named a Disney Legend in 1998.[3]
Early life
Kathryn Beaumont was born to Evelyn and Kenneth Beaumont in London, England on 27 June 1938.[1][4] Her mother was a professional dancer, while her father was a singer.[5]
Career
Beaumont made her feature film debut in It Happened One Sunday (1944), which drew interest from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who offered her a contract.[6] She recalled: "MGM was planning to have films with British characters and British-type stories. However, as ideas come and go, they must have shelved the idea because they brought me over and put me under contract, then nothing happened."[6] In spite of this, she did play small parts in MGM's On an Island with You (1948), where she did a Jimmy Durante impression in front of Durante's character, The Secret Garden (1949) and Challenge to Lassie (1949).
After Beaumont had relocated to Los Angeles, Walt Disney Pictures began auditioning young British actresses to portray Alice in their animated version of Alice in Wonderland (1951).[6] Beaumont auditioned and received the role, working under voice director Winston Hibler.[6] Disney subsequently cast her in the voice role of Wendy Darling in their following feature, Peter Pan (1953).[6] In addition to providing her voice, Beaumont also served as the performance model for both characters for live-action reference to help the animators. When performing as Wendy, Beaumont was suspended in the air to simulate flight, although Beaumont had a fear of heights.[7] Walt Disney personally cast Beaumont after seeing the film, On an Island with You. Beaumont reprised her voice acting role as Alice in two episodes of the animated series House of Mouse (2001–2003) and as both Alice and Wendy in the 2002 video game Kingdom Hearts. In 1998, Beaumont was awarded a Disney Legend award for her voice work on the films Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.
In 2005, Beaumont retired from acting;[8] the roles of Alice and Wendy were taken over by Hynden Walch. She made a brief return to voice acting in 2010 when she voiced Kairi's grandmother in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.[9] In 2023, she once again returned to voice acting by guest starring in season 2 of Alice's Wonderland Bakery.[10]
Personal life
After completing Peter Pan, Beaumont graduated from high school and enrolled at the University of Southern California, where she graduated with a degree in education.[6] Upon graduating from college, Beaumont worked as an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles for 36 years.[6]
Beaumont has been married to her husband, Allan Levine, since 1985.[2]
As of 2023, she is the last surviving cast member of It Happened One Sunday (1944) and Alice in Wonderland (1951).
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | It Happened One Sunday | Jill Buckland | |
| 1948 | On an Island with You | Penelope Peabody | |
| 1949 | The Secret Garden | Muriel | Uncredited |
| 1949 | Challenge to Lassie | Tenement Child | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Operation Wonderland | Herself / Alice | |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Alice (voice) | Live-action reference |
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Wendy Darling (voice) | Live-action reference |
| 1963 | Noddy Goes to Toyland | Noddy / Mrs. Tubby Bear / Mrs. Noah / The Little Doll / The Little Doll's Mother (voices) | Uncredited |
| 2003 | 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure | Additional Voices |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | One Hour in Wonderland | Herself / Alice | [1] |
| 1951 | The Fred Waring Show | Alice | |
| 1951 | What's My Line | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1955 | TV Reader's Digest | Priscilla Mullins | Episode: "The Voyage of Captain Tom Jones, the Pirate" |
| 1955 | Climax! | Dorrant's Daughter | Episode: "The First and the Last" |
| 1958 | From All of Us to All of You | Alice / Wendy (voices) | TV special |
| 2002 | House of Mouse | Alice (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Alice's Wonderland Bakery | Original Alice | Special: "Alice's First Day in Wonderland" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Disney's Villains' Revenge | Alice | |
| 2002 | Kingdom Hearts | Alice / Wendy Darling | |
| 2010 | Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep | Kairi's Grandma | |
| 2013 | Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix | Alice / Wendy Darling | (archive footage) |
| 2014 | Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix | Kairi's Grandma | (archive footage) |
| 2016 | Kingdom Hearts χ | Kairi's Grandma | (archive footage) |
Theme parks
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Fantasmic! | Wendy Darling | Voice |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Disney Legend Award | Animation – Voice | Won |
References
- ^ a b c d e "Kathryn Beaumont – Disney Legends, Voice". D23.com. Disney. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Kathryn Beaumont Biography (1938-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Disney Legend Kathryn Beaumont Shares Peter Pan Memories". Collider. 9 June 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ Armstrong, Josh (14 March 2007). "Beaumont and Kerry: Peter Pan's Leading Ladies". Animated Views. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Kathryn Beaumont Official Site". KathrynBeaumont.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g King, Susan (18 February 2011). "'Alice in Wonderland': Sixty years later, former Disney child star looks back". Los Angeles Times. Hero Complex. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Kathryn Beaumont Disney Legends". D23. Disney. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ CS Interview: Kathryn Beaumont, Voice of Wendy in Peter Pan Comingsoon.net, Retrieved 14 October 2018
- ^ Kathryn Beaumont at Behind the Voice Actors Behind the Voice Actors, Retrieved March 10, 2022
- ^ Disney Legend Kathryn Beaumont to Guest Star in Alice’s Wonderland Bakery D23, Retrieved June 6, 2023
External links
- Kathryn Beaumont at IMDb
- Kathryn Beaumont at the TCM Movie Database
- Kathryn Beaumont at Rotten Tomatoes
- ‹The template AllMovie name is being considered for deletion.› Kathryn Beaumont at AllMovie
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1938 births
- Living people
- Actresses from London
- Audiobook narrators
- British emigrants to the United States
- Disney Legends
- Disney people
- English child actresses
- English child singers
- English film actresses
- English television actresses
- English video game actresses
- English voice actresses
- English women singers
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
- RCA Victor artists
- Schoolteachers from California
- University of Southern California alumni
- 20th-century English actresses
- 21st-century English actresses