Biography
Born on 23 February 1926 in the Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, and passing away on 30 September 2006 in Los Angeles, California, USA, Bigley attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York following her formal education. Her Broadway introduction came in 1946 when she joined the chorus of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, and she accompanied the production to London the next year. By the time the run concluded there, she had taken on the principal part of Laurey Williams. That exposure led straight to her casting as Sarah Brown in the Broadway production of Guys And Dolls, where both the performer and the musical achieved major acclaim; in 1951 she received the Tony Award for Best Performance By A Featured Or Supporting Actress In A Musical and contributed to the original cast album by performing ‘If I Were A Bell’.
She next appeared in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Me And Juliet (1953) as Jeanie, a character written expressly for her. Although the role brought her further popularity, the musical itself did not match the earlier triumphs of its creators. Even with prominent parts in these notable productions, Bigley’s Broadway trajectory declined, perhaps reflecting shifts in audience tastes and the emergence of new theatrical styles.
As early as 1951 she had performed in Premiere, a star-studded television presentation that represented one of the medium’s first experiments with colour. From the middle of the decade onward her work gravitated toward the small screen, where she featured in numerous specials and made guest appearances on leading programs. By the close of the 1950s she chose retirement, yet she stayed engaged with theatre-related activities. In 1953 she had wed theatrical agent Lawrence Barnett, and in subsequent years the pair endowed scholarships at Ohio State University.
She next appeared in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Me And Juliet (1953) as Jeanie, a character written expressly for her. Although the role brought her further popularity, the musical itself did not match the earlier triumphs of its creators. Even with prominent parts in these notable productions, Bigley’s Broadway trajectory declined, perhaps reflecting shifts in audience tastes and the emergence of new theatrical styles.
As early as 1951 she had performed in Premiere, a star-studded television presentation that represented one of the medium’s first experiments with colour. From the middle of the decade onward her work gravitated toward the small screen, where she featured in numerous specials and made guest appearances on leading programs. By the close of the 1950s she chose retirement, yet she stayed engaged with theatre-related activities. In 1953 she had wed theatrical agent Lawrence Barnett, and in subsequent years the pair endowed scholarships at Ohio State University.