Billie Burke
| Billie Burke | |
|---|---|
Billie Burke, by Harris & Ewing
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| Born |
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke August 7, 1884 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 1970 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1903–1960 |
| Spouse(s) | Florenz Ziegfeld (m. 1914; his death 1932) |
| Children | Patricia Ziegfeld Stephenson |
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress, famous on Broadway and in early silent film, best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the movie musical The Wizard of Oz. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1938 for her performance as Emily Kilbourne in Merrily We Live and is also remembered for her appearances in the Topper series. Billie Burke was the wife of Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., of Ziegfeld Follies fame, from 1914 until his death in 1932. Her voice was unique in intonation, which she accentuated in her later character roles as dim-witted, spoiled society types.
Billie Burke was born Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke, the daughter of Blanche (née Beatty 1844–1921) and William "Billy" Burke, in Washington, D.C. She toured the United States and Europe with her father, who was a singer and clown and worked for the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Her family ultimately settled in London where she attended plays in the West End. In 1903, she began acting on stage, making her debut in London in The School Girl. Other London shows included The Duchess of Dantzic (1903) and The Blue Moon (1904). She eventually returned to America to star in Broadway musical comedies.
Burke went on to play leads on Broadway in Mrs. Dot,Suzanne,The Runaway, The "Mind-the-Paint" Girl, and The Land of Promise from 1910 to 1913, along with a supporting role in the revival of Sir Arthur Wing Pinero's The Amazons. There she caught the eye of producer Florenz Ziegfeld, marrying him in 1914. Two years later they had a daughter, Patricia Ziegfeld Stephenson (1916–2008).
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