Cathy Rigby

Legendary Olympic Gymnast and Iconic Actress of Stage and Screen

As legend has it, the late, great Mary Martin, after a particularly grueling Broadway performance of Peter Pan, collapsed on her dressing-room sofa and groaned, “You have to be an acrobat to play this part.” Enter Cathy Rigby, the onetime Olympic gymnast who followed in the elfin footsteps of Martin and Sandy Duncan as the stage’s favorite airborne trouper. Rigby reveled in her aerial role. She won a coveted Best Actress Tony nomination and rave reviews for her performance. “For sure,” declared the Boston Globe’s demanding Kevin Kelly, “J.M. Barrie’s (Peter Pan’s author) fairy dust has not been wasted.”

Born premature and sickly, Rigby turned to gymnastics as an escape from severe shyness and an alcoholic father. From the start, she knew that this was the arena where she would shine. She was right. In 1968, the blond, pig-tailed 15-year-old performed in the Summer Olympics at Mexico City, earning the highest U.S. gymnastic scores. Throughout her athletic career, she earned 12 international medals, including eight golds, as she captured the hearts of millions of viewers, popularizing the sport in the United States.

However, the 15-year-old grew up, her body matured, and her fantastic movements slowed. Commentators and fans voiced their disappointment, and her coach told her to lose weight. In an effort to please, Rigby turned to bingeing and purging, becoming both anorexic and bulimic. She was hospitalized twice, and nearly died.

During this time period, she retired from gymnastics, married, gave birth to two sons, and became a commentator for ABC Sports. Although to the world she looked fine, Rigby knew her winning spirit had waned. So, like a true champion, she took a step into the unknown. She and her husband divorced, she sought medical assistance, and then began a new career as an actress and singer.

Her efforts paid off spectacularly. Rigby conquered her disease and earned ecstatic reviews in her new career. Debuting in the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, she was called “a genuine theatrical talent” in Variety. Since then, she has appeared on numerous television programs, and starred in such plays as Meet Me In St. Louis, South Pacific, and, of course, Peter Pan. She has toured the United States starring as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, and headlined in Las Vegas, winning the George M. Cohan Award for Best Specialty Act.

Now married to Tom McCoy, a former co-star and producer of Peter Pan, Rigby soars to new heights as the mother of four, a highly-acclaimed actress, and an incredibly motivating speaker. In 1994, she and Tom assumed the responsibilities as executive producers of the McCoy/Rigby Series at the La Mirada Theater For The Performing Arts in La Mirada, California, allowing them to produce first-class theatrical productions. During their 25th anniversary celebration, ABC-TV’s venerable Wide World of Sports acknowledged her unequaled contribution to athletics by naming her one of America’s Most Influential Women in Sports. Rigby was also the recipient of the League of American Theatres and Producers' 2004 Award for Distinguished Lifetime Service.

Like the young boy she portrayed on stage, Cathy Rigby—Olympic icon, stirring orator, talented performer, and courageous woman - has battled the obstacles and flown to the stars.