Margaret Hamilton

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For the local politician in the United Kingdom, see Margaret Hamilton (politician).
Margaret Hamilton

Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz
Born December 9, 1902
Cleveland, Ohio
Died May 16, 1985, age 82
Salisbury, Connecticut
Notable roles Wicked Witch of the West in
The Wizard of Oz

Margaret Hamilton (born December 9, 1902, Cleveland, Ohio - died May 16, 1985 in Salisbury, Connecticut) was an American film actress best known for her portrayal of The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

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Hamilton was a schoolteacher who turned to acting, making her screen debut in 1933 in Another Language. She appeared in such films as These Three (1936), Nothing Sacred (1937), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), My Little Chickadee (1940), and State of the Union (1948). Prior to acting, Hamilton taught kindergarten at Rye Country Day School, in Rye, NY. Hamilton was married briefly in the 1930s and had one son, whom she raised on her own.

In 1939, she played the role of the Wicked Witch of the West opposite Judy Garland's Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and created not only her most famous role, but one of the screen's most memorable villains. Hamilton was chosen when the more traditionally attractive Gale Sondergaard refused to wear makeup designed to make her appear ugly. Hamilton suffered severe burns during a second (and unused) take of her fiery exit from Munchkinland, in which the trap door's drop was delayed to eliminate the brief glimpse of it seen in the final edit. Hamilton had to recuperate in a hospital and at home for six weeks after the accident before returning to the set to complete her work on the now-classic film, and refused to have anything to do with fire for the rest of the filming.[1] Whatever ill will she may have felt toward the role quickly disintegrated; later on in life she would comment on the role of the witch in a light-hearted fashion.

Hamilton's plain looks, in contrast to the stereotypical Hollywood glamour girl, helped to bring steady work as a character actress. Her general image was that of a New England spinster, extremely pragmatic and impatient with all manner of "tomfoolery". Her crisp voice with rapid but clear enunciation was another trademark. She appeared regularly in supporting roles in films until the early-1950s, and sporadically thereafter. She co-starred opposite Buster Keaton and Richard Cromwell, in 1940's forgettable spoof of the long-running local melodrama, The Drunkard, entitled The Villain Still Pursued Her. Later in the decade, she was in a now-forgotten film noir from one of the "poverty row" studios, entitled Bungalow 13 (1948), in which she again co-starred opposite Cromwell, though that film did nothing for either of their careers.

In 1960, producer/director William Castle cast her as the maid in his 13 Ghosts spookfest. Throughout the film she plays straight face to 12-year-old lead Charles Herbert's barbs about her being a witch, including one scene with broom in hand.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Hamilton appeared regularly on television. For example, she did a stint as one of the What's My Line? Mystery Guests on the popular Sunday Night CBS-TV program. She reprised the image of Almira Gulch from The Wizard of Oz for her role as Morticia Addams' mother Hester in The Addams Family. Years later, she had a small role in the made-for-TV film The Night Strangler (1973) and appeared as a befuddled neighbor on Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. She continued acting regularly until 1982. Her last role was a guest appearance as a veteran journalist on an episode of Lou Grant.

Margaret Hamilton, as Cora, spokesperson for Maxwell House coffee.
Margaret Hamilton, as Cora, spokesperson for Maxwell House coffee.

Hamilton was often asked about her experiences on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Hamilton said she sometimes worried about the effect that her monstrous film role had on children. In real life, Hamilton dearly loved children and gave to charitable organizations benefitting them. She often remarked about children coming up to her and asking her why she had been so mean to poor Dorothy. She appeared on an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, where she explained to children that she was only playing a role and showed how make-up transformed her into the witch.

Robert Altman's Brewster McCloud, a film about flying, pays homage to her wicked witch character: in the film, Hamilton plays a wealthy woman who is crushed by a large birdhouse. As the camera pans down her body, you see that on her feet are the ruby slippers.

Throughout the 1970s, Hamilton lived in New York City's Gramercy Park neighborhood and appeared on local (and some national) public service announcements for organizations promoting the welfare of companion animals. Her most visible appearances during this period were as general store owner Cora, in a national series of television commercials for Maxwell House coffee.

She eventually moved to Salisbury, Connecticut, and died there in 1985 from a heart attack at the age of 82.

  1. ^ Harmetz, A. (1998). The Making of the Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power in the Prime of MGM. New York: Hyperion Books.

This article contains a trivia section.
Content in this section should be integrated into other appropriate areas of the article or removed, and the trivia section removed.
  • Hamilton appeared at The Muny Theater in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri, in several roles including reprising her role as the Wicked Witch of the West and also appearing in productions of Oklahoma! (as Aunt Eller) and Show Boat (as Parthy Ann Hawks).
  • She reprised the role of Parthy Ann in Show Boat in the 1966 Lincoln Center revival of the musical.
  • As revealed by her son on the 2005 DVD edition of the film, "Maggie" enjoyed that line so much that she used it often afterwards, in real life, when situations warranted.
  • In Gregory Maguire's revisionist novel Wicked, the Witch is portrayed as being deeply concerned about the exploitation of animals in Oz. This is seen by some fans as a tribute to Hamilton, who was a member of Friends of Animals and did a series of PSAs for the Humane Society in the 1970s.
  • Her Grammercy Park apartment building also claimed James Cagney as one of its tenants.

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