Cathy Rigby
Class of 1971
Hometown: Los Alamitos
Current Residence: La Mirada
World class gymnast and Broadway Tony-award winner, Cathy Rigby was Los Alamitos’ High School’s very first bona fide star. She broke on to the world stage at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City while not even a sophomore at Los Al. She quickly became known as “America’s Sweetheart of Gymnastics.”Throughout her gymnastics career, she was able to win numerous international gymnastic medals (including eight gold medals) and she went to the Olympics a second time in 1972. Cathy won a silver medal on the balance beam at the 1970 World Championships, being the first American woman to medal in World Gymnastics. She inspired many young girls and made the sport of gymnastics popular in America. After a brilliant gymnastics career, Cathy joined ABC as a sports commentator and for 18 years provided expertise commentary in the sport of gymnastics.
After retiring from competitive gymnastics, Rigby took her skills to the stage. Her determination and competitive spirit inspired her to go through years of training to perfect herself before she went on stage. She took seven years of voice and acting training and twelve years of ballet to prepare for stage and TV roles. Her musical debut was Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz,” and then she moved on to other theatrical plays and musicals including “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “South Pacific,” “Paint Your Wagon,” “They’re Playing Our Song,” “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” “Seussical the Musical,” and “Peter Pan.” She also performed on Broadway with “Seussical the Musical” and “Peter Pan.” Cathy obtained acting roles in various TV movies including “The Perfect Body,” “Hard to Read,” “The Great Wallendas,” and “Triathlon.”
She would become best known her long-running portrayal of the title role in “Peter Pan.” She would earn a Tony nomination for her performance of Peter Pan on Broadway in 1991 and “Peter Pan” earned more Tony nominations after the production toured nationally. Arts and Entertainment (A&E) filmed “Peter Pan” and it is now available on DVD along with the soundtrack in stores nationwide.
With her husband, Tom McCoy, Cathy formed their own production company called McCoy Rigby Entertainment, and they have successfully produced many seasons of musicals, plays, concerts, and special events at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts in La Mirada, California. They have also launched many national touring productions including “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Peter Pan.”
Cathy spends her spare time as a motivational speaker on the topics of nutrition and wellness. She also devotes her time to her family and various charitable causes.
Cathy Rigby McCoy official website
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZaQ_spEMBvY%26hl
