Sharon Baird
Encyclopedia
Sharon Baird is an American
actress and dancer who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer
.
to Eldon Baird, an aerospace worker, and Nikki Marcus, a future talent agent. She has one younger brother, Jimmy Baird, also a former child actor. Sharon began dance lessons at age three, and won a "Little Miss Washington" contest at five. Her mother took her to California for the national competition and fell in love with the climate. So the family relocated to Los Angeles
, where Sharon continued her dance lessons with tap great Louis da Pron among others.
, in 1950. At age nine she began regular appearances on The Colgate Comedy Hour
television show with Eddie Cantor
. She did episodes of several different television shows, and an unbilled song and dance number with Dean Martin
in Artists and Models
(1955), just before being selected for the Mickey Mouse Club.
Contrary to the impression given by Disney publicity, many of the Mickey Mouse Club cast had some prior experience in films and television. Sharon Baird was among the most experienced of these professionals, and performed with the show's "Red Team", or first-string unit, for all three seasons of original programming (1955–1958). Her specialty was tap, but she did other forms of dancing, as well as singing and acting on the show.
After filming completed in 1958, Sharon finished high school at Hollywood Professional School
, then attended Los Angeles Valley College
where she made the National Honor Society
and was president of her class. She briefly interrupted her education in May 1959 for a short performing tour of Australia
with the Mouseketeers, then graduated from college in 1963 with degrees in mathematics and secretarial science.
In 1964 Sharon Baird married singer Dalton Lee Thomas, and with a male friend of his, worked up a nightclub act called "Two Cats and a Mouse", which faded out, along with the marriage, by 1969. During the 1970s she worked extensively as a live "puppet" for Sid and Marty Krofft
among others, doing children's shows such as New Zoo Revue
, H.R. Pufnstuf
, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and Land of the Lost
.
Sharon Baird did rotoscoping work for Ralph Bakshi
's late seventies film The Lord of the Rings
. She was the live-action model for the part of Frodo Baggins, for which she did not receive screen credit.
In 1980, Sharon, along with the other Mouseketeers, did a television special for The Wonderful World of Disney, reprising her famous tap-dancing while jumping-rope routine. She then joined a smaller number of her colleagues in performing live shows at Disneyland on weekends for several years during the early 1980s.
, she played the title character under heavy makeup, being credited as S. L. Baird to hide the fact "Ratboy" was really "Ratgirl".
Though she still makes appearances with the Mouseketeers, Sharon Baird gradually ceased doing professional engagements in the 1990s. She relocated from Southern California
to Reno, Nevada
about the same time, where she lives in semi-retirement.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and dancer who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer
Mickey Mouse Club
The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
.
Early life
Sharon Baird was born in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
to Eldon Baird, an aerospace worker, and Nikki Marcus, a future talent agent. She has one younger brother, Jimmy Baird, also a former child actor. Sharon began dance lessons at age three, and won a "Little Miss Washington" contest at five. Her mother took her to California for the national competition and fell in love with the climate. So the family relocated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where Sharon continued her dance lessons with tap great Louis da Pron among others.
Career
Sharon Baird appeared in her first film, Bloodhounds of BroadwayBloodhounds of Broadway (1952 film)
Bloodhounds of Broadway is a 1952 musical film based on a Damon Runyon story and starred young starlet Mitzi Gaynor, along with Scott Brady, Mitzi Green, Marguerite Chapman, Michael O'Shea, Wally Vernon and George E. Stone. It was directed by Harmon Jones....
, in 1950. At age nine she began regular appearances on The Colgate Comedy Hour
The Colgate Comedy Hour
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show stars many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou...
television show with Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
. She did episodes of several different television shows, and an unbilled song and dance number with Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
in Artists and Models
Artists and Models
Artists and Models is a 1955 Paramount musical comedy in VistaVision and marked Martin and Lewis's fourteenth feature together as a team. The film co-stars Dorothy Malone, Eva Gabor, Anita Ekberg, and Shirley MacLaine.-Plot:...
(1955), just before being selected for the Mickey Mouse Club.
Contrary to the impression given by Disney publicity, many of the Mickey Mouse Club cast had some prior experience in films and television. Sharon Baird was among the most experienced of these professionals, and performed with the show's "Red Team", or first-string unit, for all three seasons of original programming (1955–1958). Her specialty was tap, but she did other forms of dancing, as well as singing and acting on the show.
After filming completed in 1958, Sharon finished high school at Hollywood Professional School
Hollywood Professional School
Hollywood Professional School was a private school in Hollywood, California, United States, for children working in show business, operating mornings only so that the children could work in the afternoon...
, then attended Los Angeles Valley College
Los Angeles Valley College
Los Angeles Valley College is a community college located in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, California in the east-central San Fernando Valley. The school is a part of the Los Angeles Community College District....
where she made the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
and was president of her class. She briefly interrupted her education in May 1959 for a short performing tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with the Mouseketeers, then graduated from college in 1963 with degrees in mathematics and secretarial science.
In 1964 Sharon Baird married singer Dalton Lee Thomas, and with a male friend of his, worked up a nightclub act called "Two Cats and a Mouse", which faded out, along with the marriage, by 1969. During the 1970s she worked extensively as a live "puppet" for Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft , are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs in the USA, particularly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s....
among others, doing children's shows such as New Zoo Revue
New Zoo Revue
New Zoo Revue is an American half-hour children's television show that ran in syndication from 1972-1977. Stations usually broadcast the program in the early or middle part of the morning hours, when many pre-schoolers were watching it as well as similar shows such as the franchised Romper Room and...
, H.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf was a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-size puppet program. The seventeen episodes were originally broadcast September 6, 1969 to September 4, 1971...
, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and Land of the Lost
Land of the Lost (1974 TV series)
Land of the Lost is a children's television series co-created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. During its original run, it was broadcast on the NBC television network....
.
Sharon Baird did rotoscoping work for Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
's late seventies film The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
. She was the live-action model for the part of Frodo Baggins, for which she did not receive screen credit.
In 1980, Sharon, along with the other Mouseketeers, did a television special for The Wonderful World of Disney, reprising her famous tap-dancing while jumping-rope routine. She then joined a smaller number of her colleagues in performing live shows at Disneyland on weekends for several years during the early 1980s.
Later life
In 1984, Sharon Baird appeared on-stage in the Gallagher: Over Your Head comedy show. She did a tap-dancing routine and assisted Gallagher during his famous Sledge-O-Matic routine. For the critically panned cult film RatboyRatboy
Ratboy is a film released in 1986 and directed by and starring Sondra Locke. Though the film had a troubled production and was both a critical and commercial failure , it has maintained somewhat of a cult status throughout the years due to its make-up effects designed by Rick Baker.Ratboy did...
, she played the title character under heavy makeup, being credited as S. L. Baird to hide the fact "Ratboy" was really "Ratgirl".
Though she still makes appearances with the Mouseketeers, Sharon Baird gradually ceased doing professional engagements in the 1990s. She relocated from Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
to Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
about the same time, where she lives in semi-retirement.
Filmography
- Bloodhounds of BroadwayBloodhounds of Broadway (1952 film)Bloodhounds of Broadway is a 1952 musical film based on a Damon Runyon story and starred young starlet Mitzi Gaynor, along with Scott Brady, Mitzi Green, Marguerite Chapman, Michael O'Shea, Wally Vernon and George E. Stone. It was directed by Harmon Jones....
(1950) ... as Little Elida (uncredited) - Artists and ModelsArtists and ModelsArtists and Models is a 1955 Paramount musical comedy in VistaVision and marked Martin and Lewis's fourteenth feature together as a team. The film co-stars Dorothy Malone, Eva Gabor, Anita Ekberg, and Shirley MacLaine.-Plot:...
(1955) ... as Dancer (uncredited) - The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings (1978 film)J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
(1978) ... as Frodo Baggins (uncredited) - RatboyRatboyRatboy is a film released in 1986 and directed by and starring Sondra Locke. Though the film had a troubled production and was both a critical and commercial failure , it has maintained somewhat of a cult status throughout the years due to its make-up effects designed by Rick Baker.Ratboy did...
(1986) ... as Ratboy (credited as S. L. Baird)
Television credits
- Colgate Comedy Hour: recurring performer (1952–1954) ....as Sharon Baird
- Death Valley DaysDeath Valley DaysDeath Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
: "Lotta Crabtree" (1954) ....as Actress - Damon Runyon TheaterDamon Runyon TheaterDamon Runyon Theater was an American television program that presented dramatized versions of Damon Runyon's short stories. Hosted by Donald Woods, the program, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser beer, aired for a total of 39 episodes on CBS from April 1955 through February 1956 .-Season...
: "There's No Forever" (1955) ....as Suzy - The Donald O'Connor ShowThe Donald O'Connor ShowThe Donald O'Connor Show is an American musical situation comedy television series starring singer/dancer Donald O'Connor...
: 1 episode (1955) ....as Sharon Baird - Disneyland: 3 episodes (1955–1957) ....as Mouseketeer Sharon
- The Mickey Mouse Club: series regular (1955–1958) ....as Mouseketeer Sharon
- The Wonderful World of Disney: "The Mouseketeer Reunion" (1980) ....as Mouseketeer Sharon
- H.R. PufnstufH.R. PufnstufH.R. Pufnstuf was a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-size puppet program. The seventeen episodes were originally broadcast September 6, 1969 to September 4, 1971...
series regular (1969–1970) ....as Lady Boyd/Judy Frog/Stupid Bat/Shirley Pufnstuf/Toadinov - New Zoo RevueNew Zoo RevueNew Zoo Revue is an American half-hour children's television show that ran in syndication from 1972-1977. Stations usually broadcast the program in the early or middle part of the morning hours, when many pre-schoolers were watching it as well as similar shows such as the franchised Romper Room and...
series regular (1972) ....as Charlie the Owl - Land of the LostLand of the Lost (1974 TV series)Land of the Lost is a children's television series co-created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. During its original run, it was broadcast on the NBC television network....
series regular (1974) ....as Sa - Dumbo's CircusDumbo's CircusDumbo's Circus was a live-action/puppet television series that aired on Disney Channel, featuring the character of Dumbo from the original film.Many of the show's cast went on to star is the popular Christian radio series, Adventures in Odyssey....
(1985) - The Mickey Mouse Club Story documentary (1995) ...as Sharon Baird