Margaret Hamilton

Margaret Hamilton (1902-1985) was a sharp-featured character actress who specialized in tart spinsters, houskeepers, and nosey neighbours, but whose greatest fame came from her dual portrayal of Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West (a role later essayed by Miss Piggy) in MGM's The Wizard of Oz. She reprised the role on Sesame Street in Episode 0847 (an appearance which led to criticism from parents). During the 70s, she also appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Captain Kangaroo, usually as herself, displaying a softy, more grandmotherly image.

Hamilton's film career, which spanned four decades, included such movies as Broadway Bill, My Little Chickadee (opposite W. C. Fields and Mae West), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Red Pony, the Rankin/Bass fantasy The Daydreamer, and the animated feature Journey Back to Oz (with Ethel Merman as the Witch, and Hamilton as Auntie Em). Television credits, in addition to children's fare, included appearances on Gunsmoke, The Addams Family (as Morticia's mother), the TV movie The Night Strangler, and Lou Grant, guest starring opposite Ed Asner as journalist Thea Taft in two episodes, her final screen appearances.