Toby Wing (July 14, 1915 – March 22, 2001) was an American actress and showgirl. Wing appeared in over 60 productions in the 1920s and 1930s and was awarded a star on the Walk of Fame in 1960.
Early years
Wing was born Martha Virginia Wing in Amelia Court House, Virginia, to Paul R. Wing (1892 – 1957), an Army Reserve officer and assistant director for Paramount Pictures, and Martha Wing (née Thraves; 1893 – 1981). She had an older sister, Gertrude, also known as Patricia, who was also an actress and chorus girl, and a younger brother, Paul Jr. As a child, her family nicknamed her Toby. She and her family lived in Panama and El Paso, Texas before they settled in California in 1927. Wing claimed to be the grandniece of English playwright Sir Arthur Wing Pinero at the beginning of her career, but historical documents don't support that claim.
Toby and sister Pat
Career
Wing began working on-screen at age 9, getting a few bit parts in silent movies through her father's job. In 1931 she became one of the first Goldwyn Girls, and she started her film career in Palmy Days (1932). In 1932 she was seen in Mack Sennett-produced comedies made by Paramount, one starring Bing Crosby. Wing made an impression with producers and moviegoers, but she seldom broke through to leading roles.
Many of her roles were small and barely clothed, before the introduction of the 1934 Production Code. She became widely recognized as a sex symbol, once being described as the most beautiful chorus girl in all of Hollywood. Since her contracted studio[specify] was mired in bankruptcy during much of her career, her work was done on loan, primarily at Warner Bros. After her contract expired, she appeared in low-budget projects on a per-film basis. Wing enjoyed a far more successful sideline doing product endorsements and was featured in innumerable fan magazines from 1933–1938.
Wing played a few leading roles in B features and short subjects. In 1936 and 1937, she worked opposite singer-songwriter Pinky Tomlin in two of his low-budget musical features, With Love and Kisses and Sing While You're Able.
Wing and Merrill had two sons together: Henry Merrill, Jr. (1939 – 1940) and Richard Wing Merrill (1940 – 1982). Henry, Jr. died at 11 months old; Time reported the child suffocated after he became entangled in his bedclothes. After his death, Wing and Merrill moved from Forest Hills to Miami, where their second son, Richard, also known as Ricky, was born. Tragically, Richard and his friend, Dori Colyer, were victims of a double homicide that occurred in May 1981 in Brooksville, Florida. As of September 2026, the case remains unsolved, and Crime Stoppers in Hernando County was offering a $5,000 reward for information.
In Miami, Merrill flew the Eastern Airlines route from New York to Miami until his retirement and Wing found success in real estate in California and Florida. They later moved to Virginia, where Merrill managed the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg until his death in 1982.
Wing died on March 22, 2001, at the age of 85, at her home in Mathews, Virginia. She is interred at Christ Church Kingston Parish Cemetery in Mathews County, beside her husband and two sons.
↑"Glorifying the American Girl: Adapting an Icon", Cynthia J. Miller; "The Adaptation of History: Essays on Ways of Telling the Past" edited by Laurence Raw, Defne Ersin Tutan; McFarland, 2012; page 33
↑"Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1989", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9J-QM2G: Fri May 01 21:34:14 UTC 2026), Entry for Henry T Merrill and Wm E Merrill, 19 Oct 1938.
↑Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
