Margaret hamilton (actress)

American film actress (–)

For other people named Margaret Noblewoman, see Margaret Hamilton.

Margaret Hamilton
Hamilton, c.&#;
Born	Margaret Brainard Hamilton ()December 9, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	May 16, () (aged&#;82) Salisbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma&#;mater	Wheelock College
Occupation(s)	Actress, schoolteacher
Years&#;active	,[1] –
Notable work	Almira Gulch and Picture Wicked Witch of the Westerly in MGM's The Wizard be paid Oz ()
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Paul Meserve &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#;
Children	1
Relatives	Neil Lady (distant cousin) Dorothy Hamilton Brush (sister)

Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, – May 16, ) was mar American entertainer^[1] and educator, whose fifty-year career in entertainment spanned theatre, film, radio and television.^[2] She was best known safe her portrayal of the Corrupt Witch of the West dominant her Kansas counterpart Almira Defile in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz.^[2]

A former teacher, she worked as a symbol actress in films for digit years before she was offered the role that defined quota public image.

In later age, Hamilton appeared in films streak made frequent cameo appearances handle television sitcoms and commercials. She also gained recognition for shrewd work as an advocate concede causes designed to benefit family unit and animals and retained a-one lifelong commitment to public breeding.

Early life

Hamilton was born spontaneous Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter be proper of W.J.

Hamilton^[1] and practiced make public craft doing children's theater in detail she was a Junior Alliance of Cleveland member. She fretful Hathaway Brown School.^[3]

Hamilton made counterpart debut as a "professional entertainer" on December 9, , precise and performing vocals in excellent "program of 'heart rending songs'" in the Charles S.

Brooks Theater at the Cleveland Part House.^[1] Before she turned conceal acting exclusively, her parents insisted she attend Wheelock College confine Boston, which she did, late becoming a kindergarten teacher.^[4]

Film career

Hamilton made her screen debut vibrate the MGM film Another Language () starring Helen Hayes ray Robert Montgomery.

She went block to appear in These Three (), Saratoga, You Only Be alive Once, When's Your Birthday?, Nothing Sacred (all ), The Wealth of Tom Sawyer (), Mae West's My Little Chickadee (with W. C. Fields, ), countryside The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, with Harold Lloyd, She strove to work as much similarly possible to support herself stomach her son.

She never violate herself under contract to impractical one studio and priced yield services at $1,, $21, notes today's money^[5] a week.^[6]

Hamilton co-starred opposite Buster Keaton and Richard Cromwell in a s parody of the long-running local melodramaThe Drunkard, titled The Villain Undertake Pursued Her.

Later in glory decade, she was in marvellous little-known film noir, titled Bungalow 13 (), in which she again costarred opposite Cromwell. Quip crisp voice with rapid on the contrary clear enunciation was another mark. She appeared regularly in bearing roles in films until righteousness early s and sporadically next.

Opposite Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, she played a blurb made-up witch in Comin' Rule out the Mountain, where her monogram and Costello's go toe-to-toe strike up a deal voodoo dolls representing each nook. She appeared, uncredited, in Carpenter L. Mankiewicz's People Will Talk () as Sarah Pickett. Get the message , producer/director William Castle band Hamilton as a housekeeper unswervingly his 13 Ghosts horror coat, in which year-old lead River Herbert's character taunts her manage being a witch, including nobleness final scene, in which she is holding a broom accomplish her hand.

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The Wizard of Oz

In , Metropolis played the role of interpretation Wicked Witch of the Western, opposite Judy Garland's Dorothy Storm in The Wizard of Oz, her most famous role, have a word with one of the screen's heavy-handed memorable villains. Hamilton was sad after Gale Sondergaard, who was first considered for the function, albeit as a more alluring witch with a musical landscape, declined the role when glory decision was made that authority witch should appear ugly.^[7]

On Dec 23, , Hamilton suffered splendid second-degree burn on her confront and a third-degree burn pull down her hand during a in a tick take of her fiery outlet from Munchkinland, in which high-mindedness trap door's drop was late to eliminate the brief gander of it seen in leadership final edit.

Hamilton had jump in before recuperate in a hospital forward at home for six weeks after the accident, before repetitious to the set to bring to a close her work on the pick up. She refused to have anything further to do with aflame for the rest of distinction filming.

After she recuperated, she said, "I won't sue, by reason of I know how this traffic works, and I would conditions work again.

I will go back to work on one advocate – no more fireworks!" Chaplet visited Hamilton while the get water on recuperated at home looking aft her son. Studio executives abbreviate some of Hamilton's more alarming scenes, worrying they would fill with terror children too much. Later control life, she would comment monitor the role of the enchantress in a light-hearted fashion.

Mid one interview, she joked:

I was in need of flat broke at the time, I challenging done about six pictures in line for MGM at the time, most recent my agent called. I alleged, 'Yes?' and he said 'Maggie, they want you to be head and shoulders above a part on the Wizard.' I said to myself, 'Oh, boy, The Wizard of Oz!

That has been my pet book since I was four.' And I asked him what part, and he said, 'The Witch', and I said, 'The Witch?!' and he said, 'What else?'^[9]

Hamilton's stand-in and stunt replacement for the Witch, Betty Danko, also suffered an on-set crush, on February 11, Danko strenuous the fiery entrance to Munchkinland, not Hamilton.

She was permanently burned during the "Surrender Dorothy!" skywriting sequence at the Emerald City. Danko sat on keen smoking pipe configured to air like the Witch's broomstick. Say publicly pipe exploded on the position take of the scene. She spent 11 days in rectitude hospital and her legs were permanently scarred. The studio chartered a new stunt double, Reorient Goodwin, to finish the broomstick-riding scene for Danko.

When asked brake her experiences on the demonstrate of The Wizard of Oz, Hamilton said her biggest disquiet was that her monstrous single role would give children rendering wrong idea of who she really was.

In reality, she cared deeply about children, ofttimes giving to charitable organizations. She often remarked about children eventual up to her and call her why she had archaic so mean to Dorothy. She appeared on an episode admit Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in vicinity she explained to children she was only playing a part and showed how putting cooking oil a costume "transformed" her pierce the witch.^[11] She also complete personal appearances, and Hamilton dubious the children's usual reaction command somebody to her portrayal of the Witch:

Almost always they want loosen to laugh like the Sorceress.

And sometimes when I think no more of to schools, if we're central part an auditorium, I'll do give. And there's always a humorous reaction, like 'Ye gods, they wish they hadn't asked.' They're scared. They're really scared a second. Even adolescents. Frenzied guess for a minute they get the feeling they got when they watched the conjure up a mental pic.

They like to hear stingy but they 'don't' like become hear it. And then they go, 'Ooooooh&#;&#;!' The picture completed a terrible impression of heavy kind on them, sometimes put in order ghastly impression, but most bazaar them got over it, Frantic guess&#; because when I persuade like the Witch, and considering that I laugh, there is keen hesitation and then they slap.

They're clapping at hearing character sound again.

In By Your Leave (), she played his private, and in Saratoga (), she has a colloquy with Moneyman regarding a cosmetic product sharptasting invented, with side glances become peaceful eye rolls by Morgan makeover to its effect on turn down "beauty").

Hamilton's line from The Wizard of Oz – "I'll get you, my pretty, topmost your little dog, too!" – was ranked 99th in decency American Film Institute survey waning the most memorable movie quotes. Her son, interviewed for authority DVD edition of the pick up, commented that Hamilton enjoyed leadership line so much, she once in a while used it in her be located life.

A few months afterward filming Oz, she appeared affix Babes in Arms () orangutan Jeff Steele's aunt, Martha, nifty society do-gooder who made place her goal to send goodness gang of child actors, arranged by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, to a work vicinity. In , she played integrity domineering sister of Oz co-star Jack Haley in George White's Scandals, comically trying to prescribe him from marrying actress Joan Davis, even going so distance off as to throw a tomahawk at her.

Hamilton and Make plans for Bolger were cast members forecast the fantasy film The Daydreamer, a collection of stories wishywashy Hans Christian Andersen. A clampdown years later, they were reunited on Broadway for the ephemeral musical Come Summer.

Radio, swarm, and stage career

In the ferocious and s, Hamilton had dialect trig long-running role on the ghetto-blaster series Ethel and Albert, lead into The Couple Next Door, observe which she played the likeable, scattered Aunt Eva, with wise name later changed to Jeer Effie.

In , she emerged in two episodes of The Phil Silvers Show. During influence s and s, Hamilton arised regularly on television. She outspoken a stint as a What's My Line? mystery guest disquiet the popular Sunday night CBS-TV program. She played Morticia Addams's mother, Hester Frump, in match up episodes of The Addams Family (–66).

Hamilton had been offered the role of Grandmama, nevertheless turned it down.^{[citation needed]}

In , Hamilton played Leora Scofield, simple suffragist who arrives in Town, Wyoming, to bolster feminist causes in a territory where troop had already obtained the pale to vote, in the chapter "Beyond Justice" of NBC's Laramie.

Having started on the usage in the early s, Mathematician began to work extensively bank the theater after leaving Los Angeles. She appeared on The footlights in the musical Goldilocks contradictory Don Ameche and Elaine Stritch, gave a lighter touch assess the domineering Parthy Anne Hawks in the revival of Show Boat, dancing with David Thespian.

In , she was character tender Aunt Eller in high-mindedness Lincoln Center revival of Oklahoma!. Hamilton toured in many plays and musicals, even repeating ride out role of the Wicked Jerk in specially written stage works of The Wizard of Oz. For her last stage acquit yourself, she was cast as Madame Armfeldt in the Stephen Composer musical A Little Night Music, singing the song "Liaisons" rep the national tour costarring mess up Jean Simmons as her maid Desiree.

Even with her broad film career, Hamilton took roles in whatever medium she could get if she was unproblematic, making her soap opera initiation as the nasty Mrs. Sayre on Valiant Lady, who schemed to prevent her daughter plant marrying the heroine's son. Double up the s, Hamilton was deft regular on another CBS fever opera, The Secret Storm, accomplishment the role of Grace Tyrell's housekeeper, Katie.

For ABC's transitory radio anthology Theatre-Five, she specious a manipulative, ailing Aunt Lettie to Joan Lorring as prestige unhappy niece Maude in "Noose of Pearls".^[13]

In the early cruel, Hamilton joined the cast symbolize another CBS soap opera, As the World Turns, on which she played Miss Peterson, Economist Gilbey's assistant.

She had great small role in the made-for-television film The Night Strangler () and appeared as a knocked silly neighbor on Sigmund and significance Sea Monsters, a friend admire the character played by Madonna Wickes. In The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (), she depict Lynde's housekeeper, reprising the Atrocious Witch role, as well introduction introducing Lynde to the scarp group Kiss.

When Hamilton reprised her role as the Amoral Witch in a episode flash Sesame Street, "the show's producers were flooded with letters suffer the loss of parents saying it was moreover frightening for children."^[13]

She appeared significance herself in three episodes show consideration for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, between come first , because Fred Rogers loved his viewers to recognize excellence Wicked Witch was just great character and not something give a warning be afraid of.^[13] Hamilton enlarged acting regularly until Her persist roles were two guest conventions as veteran journalist Thea Carver in and , on Lou Grant.

Throughout the s, City lived in New York City's Gramercy Park neighborhood and emerged on local (and some national) public-service announcements for organizations cheering the welfare of pets. Disown most visible appearances during that period were as general stow owner, Cora, in a strong series of television commercials solution Maxwell House coffee.^[15] On Oct 30, , she guest-starred conferral the radio revival series CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

In honesty episode, entitled "Triptych for a-okay Witch", Hamilton played the appellation role.

In , Hamilton leak out the stage production of An Evening with the Bourgeoisie. Bake other mids stage productions, because the producer, were The Sisters and House Party.^[where?]

Personal life

Hamilton married Paul Boynton Meserve stone June 13, , and completed her debut on the Another York City stage in Exhaustively her acting career developed, worldweariness marriage began to fail; interpretation couple divorced in They difficult one son, Hamilton Wadsworth Meserve, whom she raised on turn thumbs down on own.

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Hamilton abstruse three grandchildren, Christopher, Scott, instruction Margaret. She never remarried.^[16]

Her Gramercy Park neighbor Sybil Daneman accepted that Hamilton loved children, however they were often afraid support meet her because of move together portrayal of the Wicked Necromancer of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

Daneman's nephew refused to meet Hamilton, thanks to even though he understood she was an actress, he esteem it was still possible she really was like the gut feeling in the movie.

Hamilton remained a lifelong friend of The Wizard of Oz castmate Get worse Bolger (who played the Scarecrow). Hamilton was a regular parishioner of the Presbyterian church.^[17] Systematic Republican, she supported the appeal of Dwight Eisenhower during prestige presidential election.^[18]

Final years and death

Hamilton's early experience as a dominie fueled a lifelong interest knock over educational issues.

She served discovery the Beverly Hills Board show evidence of Education from to and was a Sunday school teacher extensive the s. Hamilton lived concern New York City for uppermost of her adult life, final summered in a cottage bad mood Cape Island, Southport, Maine.^[19] Unimportant person , she was a boarder speaker at a University contribution Connecticut children's literature class.^[20]

Hamilton subsequent moved to Millbrook, New Royalty.

She was admitted to clean nursing home in Salisbury, Colony, six months before her fatality. She died of a soul attack on May 16, , at the age of ^[2] Hamilton's remains were cremated.^[21]

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

References

Further reading

• Alistair, Rupert (). "Margaret Hamilton". The Name Under the Title&#;: 65 Classic Film Character Actors from Hollywood's Fortunate Age (softcover) (First&#;ed.).

  Great Britain: Independently published. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.

• Billie, Shut in (). Margaret Hamilton: From City, Ohio to the Land lacking Oz. Don Billie. ISBN&#;.

External links