Peggy Pope Dies at 91 – Look into Her Most Iconic Roles

Actress Peggy Pope, famous for her role in “9 to 5,” has passed away at the age of 91. She passed away on Wednesday, May 27.

Veteran actress, Peggy Pope, who dominated the world of broadway and soap operas has passed away at the age of 91.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pope died on May 27 in Fort Collins, Colorado. While the cause of her demise wasn’t shared, her family noted that she passed away from causes unrelated to COVID-19.

From the success and popularity of her catchphrase in “9 to 5,” Pope published an autobiography titled “Atta Girl: Tales From a Life in the Trenches of Show Business.”

Pope was famous for her role as a secretary in the 1980 film “9 to 5” starred in several television shows and broadway plays.

HER RISE TO STARDOM

Peggy was born on May 15, 1929, as Florence Pope, and graduated with a major in theater from Smith College.

She began her career acting on Broadway, playing small roles in short-lived plays. As revealed by Deadline, she made her way to television in 1966 but didn’t make her big-screen appearance until the early 70s.

Pope starred in seven Main Stem shows, working alongside Jimmy Stewart in the 1970 revival of “Harvey.” She became a series regular on the CBS sitcom “Calucci’s Department” for a couple of months before snagging the role of Steve Guttenberg’s mother in “Billy.”

POPE’S BREAKOUT ROLE

Out of all of the numerous roles, Peggy has played, her most famous is from the 1980 movie, “9 to 5” where she starred alongside Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton.

Express recalls that Peggy acted as the alcoholic secretary Margret Foster, who worked alongside Dolly Parton’s character Doralee, as her catchphrase “Atta Girl” set her on the map. Two years after the movie was released, she was a guest star on the ABC spinoff series.

PEGGY THE AUTHOR

From the success and popularity of her catchphrase in “9 to 5,” Pope published an autobiography titled “Atta Girl: Tales From a Life in the Trenches of Show Business.”

Entertainment Weekly notes that in the book, she talked about her time in the show and how she snagged the role, writing:

“I went to the interview with a kind of exhausted indifference. It was just another couple of lines to me. It was a good movie and a good part.”

PEGGY’S OTHER ROLES

Her other acting credits include “Once Bitten,” “All Night Long,” “The Last Starfighter,” and “Choke.” She also secured some guest roles on hit TV shows, including “The Golden Girls,” “Bewitched,” “Hart to Hart,” amongst others.

Peggy is survived by her nieces and nephews and their respective spouses. Her celebration of life is set for June 27 on Zoom.