Cathleen Roxanne Rigby
(born December 12, 1952), best known as Cathy Rigby
, is a gymnast, actress and speaker.
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Biography
Early life
Rigby was born in
Los Alamitos, California 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 Olympics, 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 posed for a relatively modest nude study (referring to the literal meaning of "gymnastics") for
Sports Illustrated
, which was reprinted in a late-2005 issue.
Rigby retired from gymnastics after the
1972 Olympics. She married
Tommy Mason, a professional football player, had two sons and began acting.
Acting career
In 1974, Rigby appeared as
Peter Pan in a touring production of the
self titled musical. The role of Peter Pan suited Rigby well. She played that part on
Broadway and on tour throughout the 1990s and most recently in 2009 in Branson, Missouri. Rigby reprised her role as Peter Pan at Pittsburgh CLO from June 21 - July 2, 2008 which took place at the
Benedum Center.
[1]
From May 23 - Aug. 9 and Nov. 1 - Dec. 12 Rigby will be performing the role of Peter Pan again at the Mansion in Branson, MO.
[2]
Rigby turned her efforts to television, working for 18 years as a commentator for
ABC Sports and appearing in made-for-television movies.
In 1981, Rigby returned to the stage, starring 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 lived with since the end of her gymnastics career.
[3] 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 disorders. Rigby, who suffered from bulimia for 12 years, told
People
magazine in 1992, "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."
McCoy and Rigby own a theatrical production company called McCoy Rigby Entertainment, which currently produces a
Peter Pan
touring show, in which Rigby also stars. The 2005 tour was billed as Rigby's farewell tour before she reprised her role as Peter Pan in 2008 at the
Benedum Center in Pittsburgh and in 2009 at the Mansion Theater in Branson, MO.
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.
- 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.[#endnote_hof]
- 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 and Producers.
References
- Cathy Rigby Soars Again in Peter Pan, Starting June 21 at Pittsburgh CLO
- Rigby promoting musical
- Pendergast, Tom, and Sara Pendergast. ''St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture''. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. FindArticles.com