Hollywood Memorial

American character actress, best known for her legendary role as ‘The Wicked Witch of the West’ in the 1939 MGM classic ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ which was ranked #4 on the American Film Institute’s villains list of The Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains. Hamilton had a long career on stage and screen, often playing spinsters and nosy neighbors with names like Aunt Huddy, Mrs. Klopplebobbler and Hester Crabwell. A former schoolteacher, she remained passionately interested in education and served on school boards and in children’s therapy groups. Over her lifetime she made over 70 motion pictures and performed in at least that many stage plays. She was active in many projects that were geared for children and often at her own expense. Though her roles as ‘Miss Gulch’ and ‘The Wicked Witch of the West’ in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ will never be forgotten, the generation of the 70’s will never forget her in the warm and wonderful commercials for Maxwell House Coffee as ‘Cora’ the owner of a small New England store who only sold that brand of coffee. For nearly fifteen years, Margaret Hamilton lived in Los Angeles, California before establishing permanent residence in New York City in 1951. She was cremated and the ashes scattered over her property in New York. Note she was almost cremated during the filming of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ when she caught fire while disappearing from Munchkinland.