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Margaret Hamilton (December 9, 1902 – May
16, 1985) was an United States|American film
actor|actress.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Hamilton was a
schoolteacher who turned to acting, making her
screen debut in 1933 in Zoo in Budapest.   She
appeared in such films as These Three (1936),
Saratoga (movie)|Saratoga  and Nothing Sacred
(both 1937), and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
(1938).  

In 1939 in film|1939, she played the role of the
Wicked Witch of the West opposite Judy Garland's
Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939 movie)|The
Wizard of Oz and created not only her most famous
role, but one of the screen's most memorable
villains.  Hamilton's effective and frightening
portrayal during audition eventually secured her
the role over the originally cast, but more
glamorous, Gale Sondergaard. During the actual
filming, Hamilton suffered severe burns when the
trapdoor elevator she was riding on the soundstage
malfunctioned during her fiery exit from Munchkin
Land. Hamilton had to recuperate in a hospital and
at home for six weeks after the accident before
returning to the set to complete her work on the
now-classic film, albeit refusing to have anything
to do with fire, requiring a stand-in.

She appeared regularly in supporting roles in
films until the early 1950s, and sporadically
thereafter. Hamilton starred in a now-forgotten
film noir from one of the "poverty row" studios,
entitled Bungalow 13 (1948), which co-starred
Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell. During
the 1960s and 1970s she appeared on television,
and had a small role in the made-for-TV film The
Night Strangler (film)|The Night Strangler (1973).
She continued acting regularly until 1979, and was
often asked about her experiences on the set of
The Wizard of Oz. Hamilton said she sometimes
worried about the effect that her monstrous film
role had on children. It should be noted that in
real life Hamilton dearly loved children and gave
generously to charities benefitting them. She
often joked about children coming up to her and
asking her why she had been so mean to poor
Dorothy.  She appeared on an episode of Mister
Rogers' Neighborhood, where she explained to
children that she was only playing a role. 

Hamilton was married briefly in the 1930s and had
one son, whom she raised on her own.

Throughout the 1970s, Hamilton lived in New York
City's Gramercy Park neighborhood and appeared on
local TV ads for organizations promoting the
welfare of companion animals. She eventually moved
to Salisbury, Connecticut and died there in 1985
from a myocardial infarction|heart attack at the
age of 82.

==Trivia==  

While Hamilton was a teacher back in Cleveland,
Ohio|Cleveland, two of her students was William
Windom (actor)|William Windom and Jim Backus.