Peggy Ryan (August 28, 1924 – October 30, 2004) was a dynamic and beloved American actress, singer, and dancer, a true vaudeville veteran who became a major star in the 1940s as the energetic and comical dancing partner to Donald O’Connor.
Born into a family of performers, Ryan was on stage by age two. As a teenager, she was paired with Donald O’Connor, and the duo became Universal Pictures’ high-energy answer to MGM’s Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Known for her intricate tap dancing and buoyant, comedic personality, she and O’Connor starred in a string of popular WWII-era musicals, including Private Buckaroo (1942), Top Man (1943), and The Merry Monahans (1944).
After her time at Universal, Ryan continued to perform in films and in a successful nightclub act. Though she retired to Hawaii for a time, she returned to the screen with a recurring role as the governor’s secretary, Millie, on the popular series Hawaii Five-O. A true trouper, she taught tap dancing for decades and was still performing in Las Vegas with a senior dance troupe late in her life, cementing her legacy as a lifelong entertainer.
