Elizabeth Wragge (September 22, 1918 - October 2002)[1] [2] was an actress who appeared on more than 10,000 old-time radio programs[3] in addition to working in other media. She was typically billed as Betty Wragge.
Elizabeth Wragge was born in New York City.[2] Her mother was a star in opera in Holland.[4] Wragge graduated from the Professional Children's School, after which she attended the David Mannes School of Music.[5] She was a model before she began working in radio.[6]
In 1927, Wragge appeared in Gold Spot Pals, an NBC program that may have been the first commercial program that used child actors. She also acted as a child on other programs, including Mary and Bob's True Stories, an anthology series on which she portrayed Mary.[7] Perhaps her best known role on radio was portraying Peggy Young Trent, sister of the title character in the soap opera Pepper Young's Family.[8] She also acted on other programs of that era, including Lux Radio Theatre, March of Time, Texaco Star Theatre, and We the People.[9]
Wragge's Broadway credits (billed as Elizabeth Wragge) included Up the Line (1926), The Silver Box (1927), and Dead End (1935).[10] She also toured in musical troupes[8] and acted in local and regional theaters, including the Allenberry Playhouse.
When she was three years old, Wragge acted in the silent film Yolanda.[11] As an adult, she did dubbing for Italian films.[8]
On television, Wragge had running parts on The Brighter Day, Love of Life, and The Secret Storm. She also appeared on Armstrong Circle Theatre,[3] and in the "Flight Thirteen" episode of Fireside Theatre on January 2, 1951.[12]
In January 1951, Wragge married actor Walter Brooke. They had two children, Thomas Brooke and Christina Brooke.[13]