Biography
Margaret Hamilton, also credited as Margaret Brainard Hamilton, was an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Almira Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
A former kindergarten teacher who trained at Wheelock College, she began acting in the late 1920s. She worked as a character actress in films for several years before the role that defined her public image, appearing in titles including You Only Live Once (1937) and The Ox-Bow Incident (1943).
Hamilton later made frequent television appearances, including in The Addams Family (1964) and Sesame Street (1969). She was active until the 1980s and maintained a commitment to public education.
