Peggy Webber, the celebrated actress whose extraordinary career stretched across radio, television, film, theater, writing, and producing, has died at the age of 100.
Webber died Saturday of natural causes at an independent-living facility in Napa, California, according to her son Rob Sinskey. She had relocated from Los Angeles after being evacuated from her home during the devastating January 2025 wildfires.
For generations of listeners, Webber was much more than a familiar voice. She was one of the most versatile performers of the golden age of American radio, appearing in thousands of broadcasts and portraying an astonishing variety of characters.
Her career also brought her into contact with some of the most influential names in entertainment, including Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock.
A Remarkable Career in Radio
Peggy Webber was born Margaret Webber on September 15, 1925, in Laredo, Texas.
Her love of performing began when she was still a child. She entertained audiences during intermissions at silent movies, giving an early indication of the extraordinary career that lay ahead.
At just 11 years old, she began working professionally in radio in San Antonio.
After her family moved to Arizona, Webber continued developing her talents. By the time she graduated from Tucson High School at 16, she already had her own radio program.
Following the death of her father, Webber and her mother moved to Hollywood. Determined to find work, the young performer famously walked into CBS without an appointment.
There she encountered a young page named Bob Carroll, who would later become a writer associated with I Love Lucy. Carroll helped her secure an audition.
Webber impressed the casting staff by performing impressions of personalities including Martha Raye, Shirley Temple and Stepin Fetchit, incorporating the impressions into an improvised story.
She was hired soon afterward.
Thousands of Radio Performances
Webber quickly established herself as one of radio’s most versatile performers.
Her early credits included The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, along with commercial work in which she provided the voice of Ingrid Bergman.
Her workload was extraordinary.
By 1946, Time magazine reported that Webber had performed approximately 150 different characters across about 2,500 broadcasts in only three years.
Her growing list of credits included The Adventures of the Saint, Lux Radio Theatre, The Life of Riley, Fibber McGee and Molly, Have Gun, Will Travel and Broadway Is My Beat.
She also worked alongside comedy legend Harold Lloyd and frequently collaborated with writer and producer Norman Corwin.
Her ability to change voices, personalities and accents made her particularly valuable during radio’s golden age, when a single performer could portray multiple characters within the same production.
Her Connection to Dragnet
Webber’s career became closely connected with Jack Webb and his famous crime series Dragnet.
She had already worked with Webb on programs such as Escape and This Is Your FBI when he invited her to participate in a 1949 radio pilot for Dragnet.
The series became a major success.
Webber became associated with the role of Ma Friday, the mother of Sgt. Joe Friday, the character played by Webb.
When Dragnet transitioned from radio to television in 1952, Webber continued appearing on the program.
She later returned when the series was revived in 1967 and also worked on other Jack Webb productions, including Adam-12 and Emergency!
A Woman of Many Talents
Acting was only one part of Webber’s creative life.
During the 1940s, she created a television comedy titled Oh, Miss Tubbs, centered on a schoolteacher. The project was developed for experimental Los Angeles station W6XAO.
Webber later claimed that she submitted scripts to CBS in New York and believed the network used her concept as the foundation for the popular series Our Miss Brooks.
She considered legal action but ultimately did not pursue the matter, saying her attorney warned that challenging CBS could potentially damage her future opportunities with the network.
She also wrote and produced Treasure of Literature, bringing classic literary works to television audiences in Los Angeles.
Her achievements earned her a nomination at the first Emmy Awards in 1949.
Working With Orson Welles
One of the most fascinating chapters of Webber’s career came when she worked with legendary filmmaker and performer Orson Welles.
Welles cast her as Lady Macduff in his 1948 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Rather than portraying the character in a conventional manner, Welles wanted something different.
Webber recalled that he encouraged her to portray Lady Macduff as a youthful and glamorous woman while also using a Scottish accent.
She reportedly spent years involved with the production and also contributed replacement voices for other characters.
Working with Welles became one of the many extraordinary experiences that distinguished her career.
Appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man
Webber later worked with another legendary filmmaker: Alfred Hitchcock.
She appeared in Hitchcock’s 1956 film The Wrong Man, starring Henry Fonda.
The film was inspired by a true story and followed a musician whose life is thrown into turmoil after he is mistakenly identified as a criminal.
Webber played Miss Dennerly, an insurance clerk whose mistaken identification contributes to the tragic chain of events.
The film remains notable in Hitchcock’s career because it was his only feature film based directly on real events.
A Cult Horror Classic
Webber also earned a special place in the world of horror cinema with her leading role in 1958’s The Screaming Skull.
She portrayed a newlywed who moves into a mansion where her husband’s first wife died under mysterious circumstances.
The movie drew inspiration from Hitchcock’s Rebecca and eventually developed a following among horror fans.
Its original marketing campaign became particularly famous for its outrageous promise of a free burial to anyone who died of fright while watching the movie.
The campaign helped cement the film’s reputation as a memorable piece of cult cinema.
A Lifetime in Television
Webber continued working across television for decades.
Her television credits included appearances on:
- Kings Row
- Cheyenne
- M Squad
- Climax!
- The Millionaire
- Gunsmoke
- Wanted: Dead or Alive
- I Spy
- Night Gallery
- The Waltons
Her film work also included Her Adventurous Night (1946), Submarine Command (1952) and The Space Children (1958).
Rather than limiting herself to one medium, Webber continually explored new forms of storytelling.
Preserving the Golden Age of Radio
Perhaps one of Webber’s greatest contributions came later in her career.
In the late 1970s, she returned to radio productions through Sears Radio Theatre.
Then, in 1984, she founded the California Artists Radio Theatre.
The organization was dedicated to preserving and reviving the tradition of radio drama at a time when the medium’s golden age had long passed.
The company produced adaptations of works by Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, along with contemporary material.
Among the performers who participated were Michael York, Samantha Eggar, Roddy McDowall, Ed Asner, William Shatner and David Warner.
Through this work, Webber helped introduce the magic of audio drama to new generations.
Still Performing in Her 90s
Even as she entered her later decades, Webber had no intention of abandoning the craft she loved.
She continued producing and performing radio dramas well into her 90s.
In a 2015 interview, she spoke about her commitment to acting and radio and described her continued work as a way of honoring the opportunities she had received throughout her extraordinary career.
For Webber, age was never a reason to stop creating.
Her passion for performance remained remarkably strong throughout her life.
Her Personal Life and Family
Webber’s personal life was also filled with important chapters.
She married Robert Sinskey in 1951, and the couple moved to Japan the following year while he worked as a researcher for the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission.
They later divorced in 1967.
In 1983, Webber married Irish actor Sean McClory, whose film credits included The Quiet Man and The Californians.
McClory died in 2003.
Webber is survived by her son, daughters Patricia and Teresa, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A Century of Memories
Peggy Webber’s life represented an extraordinary journey through the history of American entertainment.
She began performing as a child in Texas, became a professional radio actress at 11, worked alongside some of Hollywood’s most legendary names, appeared in films and television programs, and ultimately dedicated much of her later life to preserving radio drama.
Her career was remarkable not simply because of its length, but because of its versatility and continued creativity.
She was an actress, writer, producer, director and passionate advocate for the art of radio performance.
Remembering Peggy Webber
Peggy Webber lived through an extraordinary transformation in entertainment.
She experienced the golden age of radio, the rise of television, Hollywood’s changing film industry and the evolution of modern audio storytelling.
Yet through all those changes, one thing remained constant: her love of performing.
Her voice reached countless listeners, her performances appeared on screens large and small, and her later work helped preserve a form of storytelling that might otherwise have faded further into history.
At the age of 100, Peggy Webber leaves behind not only a remarkable body of work but also generations of performers and listeners influenced by her dedication.
Her voice may have been her greatest instrument, but her legacy extends far beyond the microphone.
Rest in peace, Peggy Webber. Your extraordinary life and contribution to entertainment will not be forgotten.