Oz’s “Wicked” Witch Has A Surprisingly Heartbreaking Story

Oz’s “Wicked” Witch Has A Surprisingly Heartbreaking Story

Margaret Hamilton is widely remembered for her iconic portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the classic film The Wizard of Oz. Born in 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio, she came from modest beginnings and spent her early adult years working as a school teacher in New York. Teaching children was a lifelong passion of hers, and she also dedicated her time to children’s theater through the Junior League of Cleveland.

By the time she reached her late twenties, Hamilton decided to pursue her dream of acting more seriously. She made her stage debut in 1929 at the Cleveland Playhouse and later married Paul Boynton Meserve. However, her dedication to the theater and her budding acting career put a strain on her marriage, which ultimately ended in divorce in 1938, leaving her to raise her son, Hamilton Meserve, as a single mother.

Her big break came when she accompanied a friend to an audition and ended up landing a role herself in the 1932 Broadway play Another Language. The play was a massive hit and was soon adapted into a Hollywood film by MGM, prompting Hamilton to move to Tinseltown. Thanks to her precise theatrical diction, she adapted quickly to the era of talking pictures and worked as a free agent rather than signing an exclusive studio contract.

Despite the glamour of Hollywood, Hamilton worked hard to give her son a normal upbringing and protect him from the pressures of the industry, especially after witnessing the struggles of her close friend Judy Garland. When her agent called her about a role in The Wizard of Oz, Hamilton, who had loved the story since childhood, initially hoped to play Glenda the Good Witch of the North instead of the infamous villain.

Accepting the role of the Wicked Witch of the West out of financial necessity, Hamilton embarked on a grueling and dangerous filming schedule. Behind the scenes, she was remarkably kind-hearted, contrasting sharply with the terrifying character she played on screen. Her warm personality fostered a deep, lifelong friendship with Judy Garland, and Hamilton famously went to bat for Garland when studio head Louis B. Mayer forced the young star to miss her high school graduation events.

Hamilton put incredible dedication into her performance, sometimes filming multiple takes for intense sequences. In the scene where the wicked witch sets the scarecrow’s arm on fire, she reportedly needed five attempts and fainted from exhaustion after the final take. Despite her terrifying appearance on screen, she always harbored a sympathetic view of the character, seeing her as a frustrated and misunderstood woman rather than pure evil.

Children, however, often had a hard time separating the actress from the role. Remembering her background as a teacher, Hamilton was deeply concerned about frightening young fans and tried to reassure them that her wickedness was purely make-believe. She even made appearances on programs like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sesame Street later in life to soften her public image, though the latter appearance drew complaints from concerned parents.

Away from the bright lights of Hollywood, Hamilton maintained a deep love for community and education, even founding a kindergarten in a Beverly Hills church and serving as president of a local board of education. In her later years, she split her time between a New York apartment and a quiet island sanctuary in Maine that she purchased with her son, enjoying a peaceful retirement far removed from the chaos of film sets.

The production of The Wizard of Oz proved to be far more hazardous than anyone anticipated, resulting in severe physical hardships for the cast. During the filming of the witch’s exit from Munchkinland, a pyrotechnic special effect malfunctioned, trapping Hamilton in a burst of fire and causing second- and third-degree burns on her hands and face. The ordeal of removing her toxic copper-based makeup from her freshly burned flesh using acetone was excruciating.

After six weeks of recovery, Hamilton returned to the set with one strict condition: no more fireworks. Unfortunately, the studio’s disregard for safety led to another terrible accident during Dorothy’s skywriting scene, when a stunt double’s pipe exploded, leaving her hospitalized with severe burns for eleven days. Hamilton’s own caution ultimately saved her from being involved in that particular disaster.

The hazards of the production extended beyond pyrotechnics, as the toxic copper-based green makeup required special precautions, forcing her to consume liquids only through a straw and leaving lingering discoloration on her skin for months after filming concluded. Despite these harrowing experiences, Hamilton remained a consummate professional throughout her long and illustrious career in entertainment.

As she entered her later years, Hamilton lived a relatively healthy lifestyle before eventually moving to a nursing home in Connecticut. She passed away from a heart attack on May 16, 1985, at the age of 82. Her legacy endures not only through her unforgettable contribution to cinematic history but also through her lifelong dedication to children, education, and the arts.