Margaret Kerry, Disney Tinker Bell Model, Dies at 97

Margaret Kerry, the actress and dancer who served as the primary model and inspiration for Disney's Tinker Bell, died on June 11, 2026, in Wilmington, North Carolina. She was 97. Her family announced that she passed away peacefully from lung cancer, surrounded by her three children, Ellen, Christina, and Eric.

Kerry's connection to the iconic pixie began in the early 1950s when she auditioned for animators working on the 1953 animated classic "Peter Pan." In a 2003 interview, she described creating a pantomime routine to instrumental music to demonstrate the range of movement needed for the non-speaking character. She spent approximately nine months on a soundstage, often in a bathing suit, performing actions that animators, including Marc Davis, would later translate into Tinker Bell's mischievous and beguiling persona. Kerry also provided the voice for the redheaded mermaid in the film.

Her career spanned decades, beginning as a child actor in films like "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1935) and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1938). From 1949 to 1952, she starred as Sharon Ruggles on the early ABC family sitcom "The Ruggles," one of the first television shows produced in...