Margaret Hamilton was born on 9 December 1902. She is best known for… Okay, you know!
I just learned that Hamilton was a school teacher before she became an actor. That fits so well! And she advocated for public schools and animal rights her whole life.
She married an abusive man and that marriage broke up after 7 years. She never married again, probably because she realized she was a lesbian. But like most LGBT actors of that time, she didn’t discuss it publicly. It was well known in the industry, however.
Hamilton worked a lot — starting in the theater and continuing late in her life. She made her screen debut in an uncredited role in the Loretta Young vehicle Zoo in Budapest.
From there, she worked as a character actor. She appeared in multiple films every year from 1933 through 1943. And she continued much the same through 1950. At that point, she transitioned to TV. The only feature films she made were 13 Ghosts, Paradise Alley, The Daydreamer, Rosie!, Angel in My Pocket, Brewster McCloud, and The Anderson Tapes.
She played Granny Frump in three episodes of The Addams Family. And there is my favorite. She plays an academic in The Night Strangler where she says, “If it were possible, I’d be sitting here an 80-year-old sexpot!” She was actually only 71 at the time. But she was sexy!
Margaret Hamilton is, of course, the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. Despite how iconic the role was, it didn’t define her career. In fact, she played against it. She often played roles where she appeared to be bad but turned out to be good.
If you watch nothing else, check her out on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She was there to show children that acting was just pretend and that she was actually a very nice lady, even when playing the witch.
And now, let us enjoy The Wizard of Oz.
Margaret Hamilton via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.
