Cathy Rigby
Encyclopedia
Cathleen Roxanne Rigby (born December 12, 1952), best known as Cathy Rigby, is a former gymnast
, actress and speaker.
in 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 and Paul Rigby.
, as the highest-scoring U.S. gymnast made her a favorite with U.S. television
audiences, and helped to popularize the sport in the U.S. She was U.S. National Gymnastic Champion in 1970 and 1972. Her greatest gymnastics
accomplishment was winning a silver medal
on the balance beam at the 1970 World Championships, being the first American woman to win a medal in World Gymnastics.
She also competed on 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 on the balance beam. Because she was injured, she did not attempt this move during the competition, and this contributed to why she did not win any medals.
Rigby retired from gymnastics after the 1972 Olympics
. She married Tommy Mason
(a professional football player), ran a successful gymnastics camp, had two sons, and began acting.
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
. Rigby was also a spokeswoman for Stayfree feminine napkins.
During the 1980s, Rigby also began publicly speaking about her experiences with eating disorder
s. 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 first appeared as Peter Pan
in the eponymous musical
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 1998-99 and in a 2004-2005 tour that was billed as Rigby's farewell, and she temporarily retired from playing Peter in 2006.
McCoy and Rigby own a theatrical production company called McCoy Rigby Entertainment, which produces a Peter Pan touring show, in which Rigby stars. Rigby returned to the role of Peter Pan in 2008 at the Benedum Center
in Pittsburgh and again appeared as Peter in 2009 at the Mansion Theater in Branson, MO. A new tour of the show began August 2011.
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
, actress and speaker.
Early life
Rigby was born in Los Alamitos, CaliforniaLos Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos is a small city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,449 at the 2010 census, down from 11,536 at the 2000 census...
in 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 and Paul Rigby.
Gymnast career
Rigby's participation in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
, as the highest-scoring U.S. gymnast made her a favorite with U.S. television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
audiences, and helped to popularize the sport in the U.S. She was U.S. National Gymnastic Champion in 1970 and 1972. Her greatest gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
accomplishment was winning a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
on the balance beam at the 1970 World Championships, being the first American woman to win a medal in World Gymnastics.
She also competed on 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 on the balance beam. Because she was injured, she did not attempt this move during the competition, and this contributed to why she did not win any medals.
Rigby retired from gymnastics after the 1972 Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
. She married Tommy Mason
Tommy Mason
Thomas Cyril Mason is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was selected first overall by the expansion Minnesota Vikings in the 1961 NFL Draft. In six seasons with the Vikings, he rushed for 3,252 yards and 28 touchdowns. In 1967, he was signed by the Los...
(a professional football player), ran a successful gymnastics camp, had two sons, and began acting.
Acting career
In the mid-70's 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 SportsAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
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
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
."
In 1981, Rigby starred as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
. 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
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
and Meet Me In St. Louis
Meet Me in St. Louis
Meet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904...
. Rigby was also a spokeswoman for Stayfree feminine napkins.
During the 1980s, Rigby also began publicly speaking about her experiences with eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s. 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 first appeared as Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
in the eponymous musical
Peter Pan (1954 musical)
Peter Pan is a musical adaptation of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and Barrie's own novelization of it, Peter and Wendy. The music is mostly by Mark "Moose" Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and most of the lyrics were written by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Betty...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and later took the production on tour. Rigby received excellent reviews for her performance and was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
. She played the role again in 1998-99 and in a 2004-2005 tour that was billed as Rigby's farewell, and she temporarily retired from playing Peter in 2006.
McCoy and Rigby own a theatrical production company called McCoy Rigby Entertainment, which produces a Peter Pan touring show, in which Rigby stars. Rigby returned to the role of Peter Pan in 2008 at the Benedum Center
Benedum Center
The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts is a theater and concert hall located at 719 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
in Pittsburgh and again appeared as Peter in 2009 at the Mansion Theater in Branson, MO. A new tour of the show began August 2011.
Awards and honors
- A multiple-exposure image of Rigby on the balance beam was included on the Voyager Golden RecordVoyager Golden RecordThe Voyager Golden Records are phonograph records which were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for...
as an example of the range of human motion. - The greatest theatrical acclaim was given to Rigby when she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a MusicalTony Award for Best Leading Actress in a MusicalThe Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical is the Tony Awards award given to the actress who was voted as the best leading actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival...
, for her 1990-91 performance as Peter PanPeter PanPeter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
. - In 1997, Rigby was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of FameInternational Gymnastics Hall of FameThe International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, located in Oklahoma City, USA, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring the achievements and contributions of the world's greatest competitors, coaches and authorities in artistic gymnastics....
. - In 1999, the production of Peter Pan, of which Rigby was a member, was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a MusicalTony Award for Best Revival of a MusicalThe Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical has been awarded since 1994. Before that time, both plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival....
. - In 2004, Rigby received a Distinguished Lifetime Service Award from The League of American Theatres and Producers.