Margaret Hamilton (actress)

Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton
	Hamilton, c. 1958
Born	Margaret Brainard Hamilton; December 9, 1902; Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	May 16, 1985 (aged 82); Salisbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater	Wheelock College
Occupation(s)	Actress, schoolteacher
Years active	1933–1982
Notable work	Miss Gulch and The Wicked Witch of the West in MGM's The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Paul Meserve (m. 1931; div. 1938)
Children	1
Relatives	Neil Hamilton (distant cousin); Dorothy Hamilton Brush (sister)

Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, 1902 – May 16, 1985) was an American actress and educator. She was best known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West and her Kansas counterpart Almira Gulch in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz.^[1]

A former schoolteacher, she worked as a character actress in films for seven years before she was offered the role that defined her public image. In later years, Hamilton appeared in films and made frequent cameo appearances on television sitcoms and commercials. She also gained recognition for her work as an advocate of causes designed to benefit children and animals and retained a lifelong commitment to public education.

^ "Margaret Hamilton, 82, Dies; Played Wicked Witch In 'Oz'". The New York Times. May 17, 1985. Retrieved 2007-07-21. Margaret Hamilton, the actress whose role as the cackling Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz unnerved generations of children, died yesterday, apparently of a heart attack, at a nursing home in Salisbury, Connecticut. She was 82 years old. Miss Hamilton was a gentle, lively woman who taught kindergarten for years before she began a career of 50 years in the theater, movies, radio and television. But she seared a fearsome image on the public consciousness in 1939 when, at the age of 36, she played the Wicked Witch, the terror of Judy Garland's long dream in the classic film of L. Frank Baum's story.

[obit-1] "Margaret Hamilton, 82, Dies; Played Wicked Witch In 'Oz'". The New York Times. May 17, 1985. Retrieved 2007-07-21. Margaret Hamilton, the actress whose role as the cackling Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz unnerved generations of children, died yesterday, apparently of a heart attack, at a nursing home in Salisbury, Connecticut. She was 82 years old. Miss Hamilton was a gentle, lively woman who taught kindergarten for years before she began a career of 50 years in the theater, movies, radio and television. But she seared a fearsome image on the public consciousness in 1939 when, at the age of 36, she played the Wicked Witch, the terror of Judy Garland's long dream in the classic film of L. Frank Baum's story.

[1]

Margaret Hamilton
Hamilton, c. 1958
Born	Margaret Brainard Hamilton (1902-12-09)December 9, 1902 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	May 16, 1985(1985-05-16) (aged 82) Salisbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater	Wheelock College
Occupation(s)	Actress, schoolteacher
Years active	1933–1982
Notable work	Miss Gulch and The Wicked Witch of the West in MGM's The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Paul Meserve (m. 1931; div. 1938)
Children	1
Relatives	Neil Hamilton (distant cousin) Dorothy Hamilton Brush (sister)