Sandra Peabody born January 11, is an American producer, writer, acting coach, talent agent, and retired actress. Peabody is best known for her role as Mari Collingwood in Wes Craven 's directorial debut horror film The Last House on the Left , as well as her subsequent career as a producer of children's programming on cable television , which earned her accolades including an Emmy Award and a CableACE Award.
Peabody began her career as a teen actress in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. First appearing in the professional stage production Enter Laughing as Wanda during her senior year of high school, Peabody later forayed into acting in feature films , such as the South Florida shot films Misfit and The Horse Killer In , Peabody began studying drama at Carnegie Mellon University and began training in the Meisner technique directly from acting teacher Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Peabody had roles in films such as the drama film Love-In '72 , the horror films Voices of Desire and Massage Parlor Murders! Peabody retired from acting by the mids and taught theatrical training for children at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before moving to Portland, Oregon and launching a successful career in cable television as a children's television producer, beginning in Her producing and writing credits include the show Get Movin' and the award-winning series Popcorn In high school, Peabody succeeded in academics, was a varsity cheerleader , and developed an interest in acting βbecoming involved in school plays.
Outside school, she began to be cast in local professional theatre productions. During her senior year , Peabody was cast in another professional play called Enter Laughing , as Wanda, the girlfriend of the main character.
After graduating high school in , Peabody had a scholarship in dramatics to attend Florida State University. Peabody's breakthrough role would occur when she got cast as the protagonist Mari Collingwood in Wes Craven 's directorial debut The Last House on the Left , a controversial exploitation horror film and a loose remake of Ingmar Bergman 's The Virgin Spring Cunningham 's office. Due to a constantly evolving script, Peabody had little preparation for her role and struggled to film many scenes, particularly the sexual assault scenes in the forest.
