Martha Wentworth


Verna Martha Wentworth was an American actress. Her vocal variety led to her being called the "actress of 100 voices".

Early years

Wentworth was born in New York City. After graduating from public schools, she attended the National School of Expression. She was one of Minnie Maddern Fiske's proteges and appeared in several stage productions, beginning when she was 17 years old.

Acting career

Wentworth's long radio career began in the early 1920s. She played The Wintergreen Witch on The Cinnamon Bear radio program, Annie Wood and Mrs. Littlefield on Crime Classics, and Ma Danields on The Gallant Heart. She portrayed Joe Penner's mother on The Park Avenue Penners. She also had semi-regular roles on Broadway Is My Beat, On Stage, The Witch's Tale, The Baby Snooks Show, and The Abbott and Costello Show.
Wentworth also did the voices for Mama Katzenjammer in the Katzenjammer Kids adaptation of The Captain and the Kids.

Later years and death

She later became a film actress in the 1940s, starring in several Red Ryder Western films. Two of her well known roles is when she worked as a voice artist for Walt Disney Productions; as Nanny, Queenie the Cow and Lucy the Goose in One Hundred and One Dalmatians and as Madame Mim in The Sword in the Stone, her final credited film appearance two years later.
She died on March 8, 1974 at age 84.

Selected filmography