The year was 1937, and the nation was in the grips of the Great Depression when a beautiful young girl boldly walked up Melrose Avenue, passed through Hollywood’s most famous gated arch, and first stepped foot into the dream factory of Paramount Studios.

“I always knew I wanted to be an actress,” said Peggy Stewart who was only 13 years old when she crossed that magical threshold. “As a little girl growing up in West Palm Beach, Florida and then Atlanta, Georgia, I had already made up my mind that acting was my dream and was what I would do.”

The series of events that tumbled into place to make that dream a reality began the previous year when Stewart’s family came to California for a family wedding and summer vacation. “While we were in California my grandmother thought I might like to take a class at a drama school,” Stewart recalled. “I did, and when it was time to go back to Atlanta I didn’t want to go, so I ended up staying with my grandmother.”

Living in an apartment building heavily populated with people who worked in all aspects of the film industry, young Peggy and her grandmother befriended a neighbor by the name of Henry “Pop” O’Neill who had carved out a successful niche as a character actor. “He was under contract to Warner Bros. and had been loaned out to Paramount to do a film called “Wells Fargo,” said Stewart. “He knew the film’s director, Frank Lloyd, was looking for a teenager with a slight Southern accent and so he told Lloyd about me. I went over to the studio to be screen tested and Lloyd liked me and cast me as the daughter in “Wells Fargo.” That was my first film and the beginning of my career.”

From “Wells Fargo,” Stewart went on to play opposite Deanna Durbin in the 1938 film “That Certain Age.” A regular on the young Hollywood social scene of the era, her beauty and poise charmed many young men including the actor Jackie Cooper whom she briefly dated. Her stunning good looks also attracted many other suitors including the talent scouts at Universal and Warner Bros. “From Paramount I went over to Universal where I made films with the Dead End Kids and a film called “Back Street” with Margaret Sullavan,” said Stewart. “After that I went on to sign with Warner Bros.”

While Stewart had been signed by three of Hollywood’s major studios before turning 15, it was the following year that set her off on a career with Republic Pictures that would see her star rise in a sting of western films, and be dubbed: “The Princess of the Prairie.”

“When I was 16, I got married to a cowboy actor named Don “Red” Barry,” said Stewart. “Don was under contract with Republic at the time and he had told Herbert John Yates (the founder and president of Republic Pictures) about me. They had me do a film with Wild Bill Elliott called “Tucson Raiders” and then they put me under contract.”

Throughout the 1940s and into the early 1950s, Stewart starred in 35 films, most of which were serials and westerns. Unlike the stereotypical “damsel-in-distress,” Stewart was usually cast as a tough heroine. During this time she starred with Gene Autry in several productions, did recurring appearances on the television series, “The Cisco Kid,” and in the film serial, “The Adventures of Red Ryder.”

“When I look back, it was that time, doing the westerns, that was happiest and the most fun of my career,” said Stewart.

Along with enjoying her work, that time also proved to be happy for Stewart being as that she met and married the true love of her life – an actor and singer by the name of Buck Young. Settling in Studio City with Buck, their two children, and a son from her marriage to Barry, the 1960s and ‘’70s saw Stewart’s career give way to raising her family. Semi-retired from acting, 1984 saw her honored by the Motion Picture and Television Fun with a Golden Boot Award that pays homage to actors, actresses, and crew members who have made significant contributions to the genre of Western television and movies.

The 1990s then brought a resurgence to Stewart’s career when she was cast in an episode of “Seinfeld” as the aunt of a girl George Costanza was dating. “That is how this business works,” Stewart reasoned. “You go from being the young ingenuine, to the leading lady, to having a difficult time finding roles, to being a character actress.”

Today, Stewart still does occasional television appearances. She has most recently played the part of Pam Beesly’s grandmother, Mee-Maw, in “The Office” and has also appeared with Chevy Chase in “Community.” She has a broad fan base, not just in the United Sates, but throughout Europe. “I get letters from all over Europe,” said Stewart. “Italy, Germany, Switzerland, England – they all want me to sign cards or photos, which I’m happy to do. I’m just not very fast in responding,” she added with a laugh.”

A deeply spiritual person, Stewart adheres to the belief of the laws of attraction outlined in Rhonda Byrne’s 2006 bestselling book “The Secret” that was based on William Walker Atkinson’s school of thought that positive thinking can bring about life-changing results. “I don’t just believe or think that positive thinking works – I know it works,” Stewart proclaimed.

She said she also knows that, for her, positive thinking has played a major role in helping her embrace aging and in dealing with the death of her husband. “Buck and I were married for 50 years,” she said. “Well, almost 50 years. He passed away in 2000, a week before what would have been our 50th anniversary. When Buck passed away I didn’t grieve the way most people do. That was due to my belief that while he is out of my five senses, he is still very much a part of me. Now, I will admit, one day, shortly after he passed away, I found myself feeling extremely nostalgic. Well, I sat down and allowed myself a really good cry. Then, when that was over, I moved on.”

When asked to give further insight on how the belief she adheres to has helped her gracefully accept aging and continue to live and love her life, Stewart, who will turn 88 this June, quickly brushed off any thought of aging. “I have never thought about age,” she stated emphatically. “I still don’t. Sure, time goes by – but I don’t pay it any mind whatsoever. I am a believer in the power of our thoughts and that makes every day one of excitement and happiness and blessings for me. When I want something, I ask for it. I believe it is already mine by having asked for it, and then I give thanks to God for it.”