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IMDbPro

Margaret Hamilton(1902-1985)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
On this Hallo-witchy IMDbrief, we break down an on-screen history of witchcraft and some of our all-time favorites sorceresses.
Play clip3:43
Our Favorite On-Screen Witches
9 Videos
81 Photos
Margaret Hamilton was born December 9, 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Jennie (Adams) and Walter Hamilton. She later attended Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and practiced acting doing children's theater while a Junior League of Cleveland member. Margaret had already built her resume with several performances in film before she came to her most memorable and astronomically successful role, Almira Gulch / The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939). The character is considered to be one of the screen's greatest and most memorable villains of all time.
BornDecember 9, 1902
DiedMay 16, 1985(82)
BornDecember 9, 1902
DiedMay 16, 1985(82)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 3 wins

Photos81

Margaret Hamilton, Conrad Bain, Judith Lowry, and Paula Trueman in The Anderson Tapes (1971)
Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Judy Garland and Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Judy Garland and Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Margaret Hamilton, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Margaret Hamilton, Marie Blake, and Carolyn Jones in The Addams Family (1964)
Margaret Hamilton and Marie Blake in The Addams Family (1964)
Margaret Hamilton and Carolyn Jones in The Addams Family (1964)
Margaret Hamilton, Marie Blake, and Carolyn Jones in The Addams Family (1964)
Margaret Hamilton, Marie Blake, Carolyn Jones, and Felix Silla in The Addams Family (1964)
Jackie Coogan, Margaret Hamilton, Marie Blake, Carolyn Jones, and Felix Silla in The Addams Family (1964)

Known for

Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, and Frank Morgan in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz
8.1
  • Miss Gulch
  • The Wicked Witch of the West
  • 1939
13 Ghosts (1960)
13 Ghosts
6.0
  • Elaine Zacharides
  • 1960
Brewster McCloud (1970)
Brewster McCloud
6.9
  • Daphne Heap
  • 1970
Carole Lombard and Fredric March in Nothing Sacred (1937)
Nothing Sacred
6.9
  • Vermont Drugstore Lady
  • 1937

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Pardon Me for Living (1982)
    Pardon Me for Living
    • Miss Holderness
    • TV Movie
    • 1982
  • Edward Asner in Lou Grant (1977)
    Lou Grant
    • Thea Taft
    • TV Series
    • 1979–1982
  • Nurse (1981)
    Nurse
    • Mrs. Evers
    • TV Series
    • 1981
  • Johnny the Dog in Here's Boomer (1980)
    Here's Boomer
    • Miss Heston
    • TV Series
    • 1980
  • Letters from Frank (1979)
    Letters from Frank
    • Grandma Miller
    • TV Movie
    • 1979
  • Chuck Aber, Betty Aberlin, Don Brockett, José Cisneros, François Scarborough Clemmons, Johnny Costa, Michael Horton, Lenny Meledandri, Betty Seamans, Elsie Neal, Joe Negri, David Newell, John Reardon, Fred Rogers, Audrey Roth, Hedda Sharapan, Maggie Stewart, Carole Switala, Robert Trow, Charles Altman, David L. Nohling, and Bill Barker in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968)
    Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
    • Margaret H. Witch
    • TV Series
    • 1975–1976
  • Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, and Ryan Dillon in Sesame Street (1969)
    Sesame Street
    • Miss Gulch
    • TV Series
    • 1976
  • Scott C. Kolden, Johnny Whitaker, and The Krofft Puppets in Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973)
    Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
    • Mrs. Eddels
    • TV Series
    • 1973
  • Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, David Cassidy, Suzanne Crough, Brian Forster, and Shirley Jones in The Partridge Family (1970)
    The Partridge Family
    • Clara Kincaid
    • TV Series
    • 1973
  • Gunsmoke (1955)
    Gunsmoke
    • Edsel Pry
    • TV Series
    • 1973
  • The Night Strangler (1973)
    The Night Strangler
    • Prof. Crabwell
    • TV Movie
    • 1973
  • Journey Back to Oz (1972)
    Journey Back to Oz
    • Aunt Em (voice)
    • 1972
  • Sean Connery in The Anderson Tapes (1971)
    The Anderson Tapes
    • Miss Kaler
    • 1971
  • Is There a Doctor in the House
    • Emma Proctor
    • TV Movie
    • 1971
  • Brewster McCloud (1970)
    Brewster McCloud
    • Daphne Heap
    • 1970

Soundtrack

  • Paul Lynde in The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (1976)
    The Paul Lynde Halloween Special
    • performer: "Kids" (uncredited)
    • TV Special
    • 1976
  • Brewster McCloud (1970)
    Brewster McCloud
    • performer: "The Star Spangled Banner" (uncredited)
    • 1970
  • Buster Keaton, Hugh Herbert, Anita Louise, and Alan Mowbray in The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940)
    The Villain Still Pursued Her
    • performer: "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean"
    • 1940

Videos9

Our Favorite On-Screen Witches
Clip 3:43
Our Favorite On-Screen Witches
Nothing But A Coward
Clip 2:12
Nothing But A Coward
Munchkinland
Clip 1:57
Munchkinland
Meeting the Wizard
Clip 2:35
Meeting the Wizard
I'm Melting
Clip 1:18
I'm Melting
No Place Like Home
Clip 0:53
No Place Like Home
13 Ghosts
Clip 0:54
13 Ghosts
13 Ghosts
Clip 1:10
13 Ghosts
Ultimate Collector's Edition Promotional Clip
Promo 2:11
Ultimate Collector's Edition Promotional Clip

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ (1.52 m)
  • Born
    • December 9, 1902
    • Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  • Died
    • May 16, 1985
    • Salisbury, Connecticut, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • Paul Boynton MeserveJune 13, 1931 - May 20, 1938 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Hamilton Meserve
  • Parents
      Jennie Hamilton
  • Relatives
      Christopher Meserve(Grandchild)
  • Other works
    Was teacher of Jim Backus (The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (1964) and Thurston Howell III from Gilligan's Island (1964) ) while he was in grade school.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 4 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Wore the same costume for two productions, 26 years apart. The dress she wore as Miss Gulch in The Wizard of Oz (1939) was worn again when she played Grandma Frump in The Addams Family (1964) in 1965.
  • Quotes
    I was in a need of money at the time, I had done about six pictures for MGM at the time and my agent called. I said, 'Yes?' and he said 'Maggie, they want you to play a part on the Wizard.' I said to myself, 'Oh Boy, The Wizard of Oz! That has been my favorite 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?'
  • Trademarks
      Often signed her autographs with the notation of WWW (Wicked Witch of the West).
  • Nickname
    • Maggie
  • Salary
    • The Wizard of Oz
      (1939)
      $1,000 /week

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