The actress who played the original Tinker Bell for Disney in 1953 animated classic is still flying high at 96.
Margaret Kerry, who was the live-action reference model for the beloved film, recently revealed that she is still tap dancing and even found love in her 90s.
She had a successful career including playing Bess Muggins in The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1961), an episode of The Lone Ranger (1950), and playing housewife in 48 episodes of the New 3 Stooges in 1965.
Kerry appeared at the annual Mayberry Days, which is a celebration of The Andy Griffith Show taking place in Mount Airy, North Carolina, back in September where she very impressively tap danced for the crowd at the age of 96.Â
Videos of her routine could be seen on YouTube as she proudly told Woman’s World in an interview before her appearance: ‘Oh, I’ll be tap dancing on Saturday night.’
Kerry pantomimed her iconic Disney character of Tinker Bell as she described the process of starring in the classic 1953 flick.
Margaret Kerry, who was the live-action reference model for Tinker Bell, recently revealed that she is still tap dancing and even found love in her 90s (she is seen in September 1948)
The actress who played the original Tinker Bell for Disney in 1953 animated classic is still flying high at 96
She said: ‘At that time, they didn’t have electronics. Everything was done by hand.
‘So, they cast a person in the role and then filmed them with 35-millimeter film.’
It took nine months to complete the live-action reference shoots for Tinker Bell as she also documented her career in 2016 memoir Tinker Bell Talks! Tales Of A Pixie Dusted Life.
The star also shared the story about how she reunited and married her long-lost love after 70 years apart.Â
In 2019, she reconnected with WWII veteran ex-boyfriend Robert Boeke who was 94 at the time after his friends reached out via email.
He was abroad on the 75th anniversary of D-Day and called her from France.
Kerry recalled to Woman’s World: ‘You don’t think I wasn’t impressed?  I’d been a widow for 20 years. I wasn’t thinking of getting together with anyone.’
They actually had planned on meeting at Mayberry Days at the time but Boeke was unable to as he had his 94th birthday party to attend, however, three weeks later he drove eight hours to meet her as Kerry sweetly said: ‘It was love at second sight.’
Kerry appeared at the annual Mayberry Days, which is a celebration of The Andy Griffith Show taking place in Mount Airy, North Carolina , back in September where she very impressively tap danced for the crowd at the age of 96 (she is seen in LA back in 2018)
Kerry (pioctured in August 2004) pantomimed her iconic Disney character of Tinker Bell as she described the process of starring in the classic 1953 flick
She said: ‘At that time, they didn’t have electronics. Everything was done by hand. So, they cast a person in the role and then filmed them with 35-millimeter film’
In 2019, she reconnected with WWII veteran ex-boyfriend Robert Boeke who was 94 at the time after his friends reached out via email as they married on Valentine’s Day 2020
Kerry and Boeke picked up right where they left off as the actress revealed: ‘I proposed to him. What else was I supposed to do? He wasn’t saying anything.’Â
The two finally had their happy ending several decades later as they marred on Valentine’s Day 2020 at the Little Brown Church in Studio City, California.
They are enjoying their active life together as Kerry also revealed to Woman’s World: ‘He still drives. Does the best left-hand turns I’ve ever seen. He cooks, too. And he has a Costco card—which I can use.’
Kerry was born Peggy Lynch in May 11, 1929 but ultimately took her stage name when she began her acting career.
She had been married twice before as she wed Dick Brown in 1951 before they split in 1984.
Kerry later tied the knot with John Wilcox in 1987 and remained married until he died in 1999.Â
