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Billie Burke Biography |
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (7 August 1885 - 14 May 1970) was an actress primarily known to modern audiences for her role as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz. To earlier audiences she was the feather-brained Clara Topper in a series of popular movies about a man haunted by two alcoholic ghosts and their pet St. Bernard.
Known as Billie Burke, she was born in Washington, D.C. to the famous English clown Billy Burke. She spent much of her youth travelling with her family as her father played Europe in Barnum and Bailey's Circus. In 1903 she began acting on stage, making her debut in London, and eventually returning to America to become the toast of Broadway. There she caught the eye of theatre producer Florenz Ziegfeld, marrying him in 1914.
She was quickly signed for the movies, with her first movie, in the starring role, in Peggy in 1916. She continued to appear on both stage and screen, but when the family's savings, were wiped out in the Crash of 1929, she began to concentrate on the movies. Ziegfeld died in 1932, worsening her financial situation. That same year, she starred in Dinner at Eight.
This was shortly thereafter followed by the Topper series of films and The Wizard of Oz. Another successful series followed with Father of the Bride and Father's Little Dividend.
She died in Los Angeles, California, and was interred at Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, New York.
Broadway
My Wife - 1907
Love Watches - 1908
Mrs. Dot - 1910
Suzanne - 1910
The Philosopher in the Apple Orchard - 1911
The Runaway - 1911
The Amazons - 1913
The Land of Promise - 1913
Jerry - 1914
The Rescuing Angel - 1917
A Marriage of Convenience - 1918
Caesar's Wife - 1919
The Intimate Strangers - 1921
Rose Briar - 1922
Annie Dear - 1924
The Marquise - 1927
The Happy Husband - 1928
Family Affairs - 1929
The Truth Game - 1930
Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 - 1934
Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 - 1936
This Rock - 1943
Ziegfeld Follies of 1943 - 1943
Mrs. January and Mr. X - 1944
Films
Peggy - 1916
Gloria's Romance - 1916
The Mysterious Miss Terry - 1917
Arms and the Girl - 1917
The Land of Promise - 1917
Eve's Daughter - 1918
Let's Get a Divorce - 1918
In Pursuit of Polly - 1918
The Make-Believe Wife - 1918
Good Gracious, Annabelle - 1919
The Misleading Widow - 1919
Sadie Love - 1919
Wanted: A Husband - 1919
Away Goes Prudence - 1920
The Frisky Mrs. Johnson - 1920
The Education of Elizabeth - 1921
A Bill of Divorcement - 1932
Christopher Strong - 1933
Dinner at Eight - 1933
Only Yesterday - 1933
Where Sinners Meet - 1934
Finishing School - 1934
We're Rich Again - 1934
Forsaking All Others - 1934
Society Doctor - 1935
After Office Hours - 1935
Becky Sharp - 1935
Doubting Thomas - 1935
She Couldn't Take It - 1935
A Feather in Her Hat - 1935
Splendor - 1935
My American Wife - 1936
Piccadilly Jim - 1936
Craig's Wife - 1936
Parnell - 1937
Topper - 1937
The Bride Wore Red - 1937
Navy Blue and Gold - 1937
Everybody Sing - 1938
Merrily We Live - 1938
The Young in Heart - 1938
Topper Takes a Trip - 1939
Zenobia - 1939
Bridal Suite - 1939
The Wizard of Oz - 1939
Eternally Yours - 1939
Remember? - 1939
The Ghost Comes Home - 1940
Irene - 1940
The Captain Is a Lady - 1940
Dulcy - 1940
Hullabaloo - 1940
And One Was Beautiful - 1940
The Wild Man of Borneo - 1941
Topper Returns - 1941
One Night in Lisbon - 1941
The Man Who Came to Dinner - 1942
What's Cookin'? - 1942
In This Our Life - 1942
They All Kissed the Bride - 1942
Girl Trouble - 1942
Hi Diddle Diddle - 1943
So's Your Uncle - 1943
You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith - 1943
Gildersleeve on Broadway - 1943
The Laramie Trail - 1944
Swing Out, Sister - 1945
The Cheaters - 1945
Breakfast in Hollywood - 1946
The Bachelor's Daughters - 1946
Billie Gets Her Man - 1948
The Barkleys of Broadway - 1949
Father of the Bride - 1950
Father's Little Dividend - 1951
Small Town Girl - 1953
The Young Philadelphians - 1959 |
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