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Mary Badham




Mary Badham (born October 7 , 1952 , Birmingham, Alabama ), an American Child Actress best known for her portrayal of Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch in the 1962 film To Kill A Mockingbird , for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award.

The sister of director John Badham , Mary had no prior film acting experience before being cast in "Mockingbird". She did not win the Academy Award, which went to another child actress, Patty Duke , for her work in " The Miracle Worker ".

During the filming of "Mockingbird" Badham became particularly close to Gregory Peck , who played her character's father, Atticus Finch, and afterwards, she remained in touch with him, always calling him 'Atticus', until his death in 2003 .

Her second best-known role, after "Mockingbird," is as 'Sport Sharewood' in the classic " Twilight Zone " episode " The Bewitchin' Pool ", written by Earl Hamner Jr. , that first aired in 1964 and which was the final episode of the original Twilight Zone series.

She also appeared in the films "Let's Kill Uncle" ( 1966 ) and " This Property Is Condemned " (1966) before retiring from the acting profession. At the urging of actor/writer/director Cameron Watson , Badham came out of retirement to play an offbeat cameo opposite Keith Carradine for his film "Our Very Own" ( 2005 ). Watson stated he would not accept any other actress for the part. He had managed to track Mary down in Monroeville, Alabama , where she had been invited to attend a stage version of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

At present Mary is an art restorer and a college testing coordinator. Married to a school teacher, and the mother of two, she also travels around the world recalling her experiences making "To Kill a Mockingbird" while expounding on the book's messages of tolerance and compassion.


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