What is Sandy Duncan doing now? From Peter Pan to Roots

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Who is Sandy Duncan?

American actress and singer Sandra Kay Duncan was born in New London, Texas USA, on 20 February 1946, meaning that Pisces is her zodiac sign. She’s appeared in 38 TV series and movies, but is probably still known best for voicing Queen Uberta in the 1994 animated comedy movie “The Swan Princess”, which starred Howard McGillin and Jack Palance, and was written and directed by Richard Rich. It follows a princess who’s been cursed by a sorcerer to live as a swan, and the film won one of its nine award nominations.

Sandy’s still today active in the film industry, although not as much as before the 2000s, as she’s today spends more time with her family.

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Early life and education

Sandy and her sister Robyn were raised in New London by their father Mancil Ray Duncan and mother Sylvia; Mancil was the owner of a gas station, while Sylvia was a housewife.

Sandy was five when she began appearing in commercials, and nine when she and her family moved to Tyler, Texas. She appeared in her first theatre play aged 12, when paid $150 a week to play a supporting character in “The King and I”.

Sandy enrolled at local high school in 1960, and upon matriculating in 1964 enrolled at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas, but eventually dropped out, wanting to focus on acting.

TV series roles

Sandy’s debut TV series role was portraying Helen in two episodes of the 1964 romantic drama “Search for Tomorrow”, and the year 1971 saw her play Angeline in the episode “An Earthquake Called Callahan” of the western “Bonanza”.

She gained recognition in 1971, when cast to star as Sandy Stockton in all 13 episodes of the comedy “Funny Face”, which also starred Kathleen Freeman and Valorie Armstrong, and was created by Carl Kleinschmitt. It follows a girl who’s experiencing big city life for the first time now that she’s enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles – the series was nominated for a 1972 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series (Sandy).

She could then have been heard voicing a character in the 1972 episode “Sandy Duncan’s Jekyll and Hyde” of the animated adventure comedy “The New Scooby-Doo Movies”, as well as starring in her own comedy show “The Sandy Duncan Show”. The remainder of the ‘70s saw Sandy make a guest appearance in an episode of a couple of series, such as the comedy “Good Heavens”, the crime action “The Six Million Dollar Man”, and the action adventure “The Bionic Woman”, and in 1977, she played Missy Anne Reynolds in the hit biographical historical mini-series “Roots”. It starred Robert Reed and LeVar Burton, follows a family of black people from their enslavement to liberation, and the mini-series won 17 of its 52 award nominations.

From 1987 through 1991, she starred as Sandy Hogan in the popular family comedy “Valerie”, which also starred Jeremy Licht and Jason Bateman, and was created by Charlie Hauck. It follows a woman who’s raising her three sons alone as her husband’s a pilot and spends most of his time away from home, and the series won two of its 15 award nominations. Sandy’s only other TV series role in the ‘90s was playing Defense Attorney Michelle ‘Shelly’ Kates in the 1995 episode “Paranoia” of the crime mystery “Law & Order”.

She’s since had three more TV series roles, playing Trial Judge Virginia Farrell in two episodes of the 2015 crime mystery “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, voicing a character in the 2020 episode “The Dreaded Remake of Jekyll & Hyde” of the animated adventure comedy “Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?”, and two episodes of the 2023 mini-series “Doris Dear’s Gurl Talk”.

Movie roles

Sandy’s debut film role was portraying Woman in TV Montage in the 1969 drama “Midnight Cowboy”, which starred Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, and was directed by John Schlesinger. It follows a man who’s travelled from Texas to New York City in search of fortune, and the movie won 28 of its 44 award nominations, including Oscar wins for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Director and Best Picture.

A couple of Sandy’s following roles were in the 1971 family science fiction comedy “The Million Dollar Duck”, the 1971 comedy “Star Spangled Girl” and the 1973 short drama “The All Star Spangled Mission”. The year 1976 saw her star as Pinocchio in the family fantasy musical “Pinocchio”, which also starred Clive Revill and Danny Kaye, and was directed by Sid Smith and Ron Field; it follows a lonely woodcarver who’s carved a puppet as a daughter, and the movie won two of its four award nominations. The remainder of the ‘70s saw Sandy appear in the 1976 family musical comedy “Christmas in Disneyland” and the 1978 family science fiction comedy “The Cat from Outer Space”.

In 1981, she voiced Vixey in the evergreen animated adventure “The Fox and the Hound”, which starred Kurt Russell and Mickey Rooney, and was directed by Richard Rich and Ted Berman. It follows the hound Copper and the fox Tod who’ve become best friends, and the movie won one of its three award nominations. Some of Sandy’s other film roles in the ‘80s were in the 1988 short family fantasy “The Backyard Show”, the 1989 short family fantasy “Three Wishes”, and the 1989 comedy “My Boyfriend’s Back”.

The year 1993 saw her play Lorrie Helm in the drama “Miracle on Interstate 880”, which starred Len Cariou and Ruben Blades, and was directed by Robert Iscove. It follows a man who’s trying to rescue the people who’ve become trapped on the I-880 bridge following an earthquake, and the film was nominated for two awards.

In 2001, Sandy portrayed Natasha in the romantic comedy “Never Again”, which starred Jill Clayburgh and Jeffrey Tambor, and was written and directed by Eric Schaeffer. It follows a man and a woman who’ve fallen in love at a gay bar, and the film was nominated for a 2003 AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Grownup Love Story.

Sandy’s most recent film role was playing The Queen in the 2001 short fantasy science fiction “G Spots?”

Other credits

Sandy received special thanks for the 2002 short documentary movie “Remembering ‘Roots’”.

She produced the 2016 short comedy movie “Life is Funny”.

Some of Sandy’s recent talk-show appearances have been in “WGN Morning News”, “Stars in the House” and “CBS News Sunday Morning”.

Awards and accolades

Sandy’s been nominated for eight awards: two Golden Globes in 1972 for her performance in “The Million Dollar Duck” and “Star Spangled Girl”, two Primetime Emmys in 1972 and 1977, for “Funny Face” and “Roots”, respectively, and four Photoplay Gold Medals for Favorite Variety Star from 1975 through 1978.

Love life and marriages

Sandy’s married thrice. Her first husband was American actor and singer Bruce Scott Zaharaides, whom she met when they starred alongside in the off-Broadway play “Your Own Thing”; the two married on 5 September 1968, their divorce was finalized in October 1972, Sandy later revealing that her success led to the divorce, because Bruce was threatened by it.

She married her second husband, Dr. Thomas Calcaterra on 10 January 1973, but divorced in 1979; they met when Thomas was hired as a consulting surgeon when Sandy with diagnosed with a brain tumor, and divorced because Sandy was unwilling to stay at home and be a ‘good doctor’s wife’.

She’s been married to American actor, dancer and choreographer Donald ‘Don’ Correia since 21 July 1980; Sandy gave birth to their first son Jeffrey Correia on 5 October 1982, and their second son Michael Correia followed on 19 March 1984.

Sandy’s yet to speak about other men whom she’s dated, she’s married to her third husband Donald ‘Don’ Correia as of May 2023, and they have two sons together.

In this Sunspot, actress Sandy Duncan talks about her audition for the lead in "Carousel" at New York City Center pic.twitter.com/55qlqVyDZx

— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) July 24, 2022

Interesting facts and hobbies

Sandy was diagnosed with a tumor on her optic nerve in 1972, and thus had to leave the series “Funny Face”; the doctors were able to save her left eye which was affected by the tumor, but Sandy lost all vision in it. Some people mistakenly believe that she has a glass eye.

She had a crush on famous American actor and producer Peter Marshall, who’s today 97 years old.

There’s an alternative punk band called Sandy Duncan’s Eye.

For her performance in the 1980 Broadway revival of the play “Peter Pan”, Sandy was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress; she was also nominated for two other Tony Awards: for Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical) for the 1969 production of “Canterbury Tales”, and for Best Actress (Musical) for the 1971 “The Boy Friend”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Sandy’s age is 77. She has blue eyes and brown hair, which she usually dyes blonde; she’s 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall and weighs around 130lbs (58kgs).

Sandy’s net worth’s been estimated at over $6 million, as of May 2023.

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Lorie Orum

Update: 2024-05-19

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