Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December , â€" May , ) was an American
film character actress best known for her portrayal of the Wicked
Witch of the West, and her Kansas counterpart Almira Gulch, in
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's classic film The Wizard of Oz ().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 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.Hamilton was born
in Cleveland, the youngest of four children of Walter J. Hamilton and
his wife, Mary Jane (née Adams; known by her nickname, Jennie). She
attended Hathaway Brown School while the school was at East rd Street
in Cleveland. Drawn to the theater at an early age, Hamilton made her
amateur stage debut in .[citation needed] Hamilton also practiced her
craft doing children's theater while she was a Junior League of
Cleveland member. Hamilton made her debut as a "professional
entertainer" on December , , in a "program of 'heart rending songs' in
the Charles S. Brooks Theater at the Play House in Cleveland. She
later moved to Painesville, Ohio.[citation needed] Before she turned
to acting exclusively, her parents insisted she attend Wheelock
College in Boston, which she did, later becoming a kindergarten
teacher.Hamilton's career as a film actress was driven by the very
qualities that placed her in stark contrast to the stereotypical
Hollywood glamour girl. Her image was of a New England spinster,
extremely pragmatic and impatient with all manner of "tomfoolery".
Hamilton's looks helped to bring steady work as a character actor. She
made her screen debut in in Another Language. She went on to appear
in These Three (), Saratoga, You Only Live Once, When's Your
Birthday?, Nothing Sacred (all ), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (), My
Little Chickadee (with W. C. Fields, ), and The Sin of Harold
Diddlebock (with Harold Lloyd, (). She strove to work as much as
possible to support herself and her son; she never put herself under
contract to any one studio and priced her services at $, ($, with
inflation) a week.
film character actress best known for her portrayal of the Wicked
Witch of the West, and her Kansas counterpart Almira Gulch, in
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's classic film The Wizard of Oz ().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 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.Hamilton was born
in Cleveland, the youngest of four children of Walter J. Hamilton and
his wife, Mary Jane (née Adams; known by her nickname, Jennie). She
attended Hathaway Brown School while the school was at East rd Street
in Cleveland. Drawn to the theater at an early age, Hamilton made her
amateur stage debut in .[citation needed] Hamilton also practiced her
craft doing children's theater while she was a Junior League of
Cleveland member. Hamilton made her debut as a "professional
entertainer" on December , , in a "program of 'heart rending songs' in
the Charles S. Brooks Theater at the Play House in Cleveland. She
later moved to Painesville, Ohio.[citation needed] Before she turned
to acting exclusively, her parents insisted she attend Wheelock
College in Boston, which she did, later becoming a kindergarten
teacher.Hamilton's career as a film actress was driven by the very
qualities that placed her in stark contrast to the stereotypical
Hollywood glamour girl. Her image was of a New England spinster,
extremely pragmatic and impatient with all manner of "tomfoolery".
Hamilton's looks helped to bring steady work as a character actor. She
made her screen debut in in Another Language. She went on to appear
in These Three (), Saratoga, You Only Live Once, When's Your
Birthday?, Nothing Sacred (all ), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (), My
Little Chickadee (with W. C. Fields, ), and The Sin of Harold
Diddlebock (with Harold Lloyd, (). She strove to work as much as
possible to support herself and her son; she never put herself under
contract to any one studio and priced her services at $, ($, with
inflation) a week.
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