Mary Badham Quotes

United States, Actress
October 7, 1952

Mary Badham (born October 7, 1952) is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. At the time, Badham (aged 10) was the youngest actress ever nominated in this category.

I didn't know anything about movies or movie stars or the Academy or anything. I was just a blank sheet of paper. I was totally ignorant of all that stuff. I never went to the movies, didn't know anything about the movies.

Mary Badham
- Movie
I lost my parents very early in my life. My mom died three weeks after I graduated from high school, and my dad died two years after I got married.

Mary Badham
- Life
- School
- High

I was very much a tomboy. I've always been rather outspoken, headstrong, and I'm pretty much that way to this day.

Mary Badham
- Pretty
In 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' I was just playing and having a good time.

Mary Badham
- Time
- Good
My mother was a leading lady in a local theatre in Birmingham, Alabama, where I grew up.

Mary Badham
- Up
- Mother
- Theatre
That's so important for children when they're growing up, to have a strong male role model.

Mary Badham
- Up
- Important
- Children
If more people would try and reach up instead of going to the lowest common denominator, I think we'd be a lot better off.

Mary Badham
- People
- Up
Most of the performances I see on TV and in movies are so self-conscious and overacted. I would think a natural actress would be welcome.

Mary Badham

I wasn't a child who wanted to be an actor.

Mary Badham
When I retired, I was at an in-between age. I wasn't a child anymore, I wasn't really a woman yet, and they weren't really writing scripts for that age.

Mary Badham
- Writing
- Age
I know that I wouldn't mind going back to work if I could find the right script and the right crew to work with.

Mary Badham
- Work
- Mind