Sandy Duncan

Actress/comedienne/vocalist Sandy Duncan's climb to show business' upper echelon did not come easy. The star of a popular situation comedy, Funny Face, from 1971 until early 1972, Duncan had her career come to a near stop when surgery, for a tumor on the optic nerve, left her blind in one eye. Undeterred by her handicap, Duncan resumed her career with the same determination that had taken her from her birthplace in Henderson TX to Broadway, movie, and television fame. Although Funny Face, which was renamed the Sandy Duncan Show upon Duncan's return in autumn 1972, was canceled after the season, Duncan remained one of America's most flexible entertainers. The recipient of an Emmy award for her performance in ABC-TV mini-series, Roots in 1977, she returned to Broadway to star in the revival of J.M. Barre's Peter Pan. After limiting herself to rare television appearances for nearly a decade, Duncan starred in the sitcom the Hogan Family from 1988 until 1991. She appeared in a touring revival of Chicago in 1999. Duncan's love of the theater has been a lifelong experience. She made her debut in a production of the King and I in Dallas at the age of 12. Relocating to New York after graduating from Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas, she appeared in the 1968 rock opera, Your Own Thing. Appearing with Laugh-In comedienne Judy Carne in The Boy Friend, she earned critical kudos for her scene-stealing performance. Making her film debut in Disney's Million Dollar Duck, Duncan went on to appear in such flicks as The Cat from Outer Space, My Little Pony, The Fox and the Hound, Rockadoodle, The Swan Princess, and the original Barney videos. She's remained active in live theater, as well, appearing at New York's City Center in revivals of Life with Father, Carousel, The Music...