Peter Foy

Who was Peter Foy?

Peter Foy was the stage flying effects specialist who founded "Flying by Foy", most widely known for its work flying actors in the play Peter Pan.

Born in London, England, he began in show business as a child actor, and in one of his roles was called upon to fly. After serving in the Royal Air Force as a Navigator and Entertainment Officer, he began working for the British company that had flown him, Kirby's Flying Ballets, and sailed to New York in 1950 to stage the flying sequences for Peter Pan starring Jean Arthur. He flew many of her successors in the role, including Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan, and Cathy Rigby.

Other productions for which he created flying sequences included I Love Lucy, Men into Space, The Garry Moore Show, Hanna Barbera's Jack and the Beanstalk with Gene Kelly and The Flying Nun on television; Fantastic Voyage, Funny Girl, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Hair and The Wiz in movies; It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, The Who's Tommy, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Angels in America, The Lion King, Disney's Aida, and Dracula, the Musical on Broadway; and touring productions of the Ice Capades.