Virginia Martin

Virginia Martin (December 2, 1927 – August 27, 2009) was an American actress and singer whose Broadway career spanned three decades, from 1949 to 1979. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Tommy T. and Harville Martin, she grew up alongside two brothers, Jere and Donald. Her early training encompassed ballet, musical theory, piano, and voice, and she sang with the Chattanooga Opera Association while serving as soprano soloist at Second Presbyterian Church. She was crowned Miss Chattanooga in 1949, the same year she graduated from the University of Chattanooga.

Following her graduation, Martin spent five summers working as an entertainment manager at resort hotels in upstate New York and Florida before relocating permanently to New York City. There she pursued a career in fashion modeling while continuing her artistic development through drama and voice studies at the American Theatre Wing.

Her Broadway debut came during the original run of South Pacific, in which she played Ensign Bessie Noonan. She subsequently appeared in the chorus of the original Broadway cast of The Pajama Game in 1954 and Ankles Aweigh in 1955, followed by the revue New Faces of 1956. In 1958, she understudied Vivian Blaine in the lead role of Irene Lovelle in Say, Darling. Three years later, Martin originated the role of Hedy La Rue in the original Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Her most recognized stage work came in 1963, when she originated the role of Young Belle Poitrine in Little Me, with Nancy Andrews portraying the older version of the same character. The performance earned Martin a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In February 1965, she stepped into the lead role of Emily Kirsten in Bajour, a part originally created by Nancy Dussault. Her final Broadway appearance came in the 1979 musical Carmelina.

Beyond the stage, Martin made multiple television appearances on Bewitched between 1965 and 1966, playing Charmaine Leach, the wife of private investigator Charlie Leach portrayed by Robert Strauss, as well as the role of Roxie Ames. She died on August 27, 2009, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the age of 81.