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Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke ( August 7 , 1884 – May 14 , 1970 ) was an Oscar -nominated American actress primarily known to modern audiences for her role as Glinda , the ''Good Witch of the North'' in the musical '' The Wizard Of Oz ''. EARLY LIFE Known as Billie Burke, she toured the U.S. and Europe with a Circus because her father, Billy Burke, was employed with them as a singing Clown . One could say that Billie was bred for show business. Her family ultimately settled in London where she was fortunate to see plays in London 's historic West End . She wanted to be a stage actress. In 1903, she began acting on stage, making her debut in London , and eventually returning to America to become the toast of Broadway as a musical comedy star. She was praised by '' The New York Times '' for her charm and her brightness. CAREER Thanks to her representation by famed producer Charles Frohman, 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. In 1916, they had one daughter, Patricia Ziegfeld. She was quickly signed for the movies, making her film debut in the title role of ''Peggy'' (1916). She continued to appear on the stage, and sometimes she starred on the screen. She loved the stage more than movie-business, not only because it was her first love, but at least she had speaking parts. But when the family's savings were wiped out in the Crash Of 1929 , she had no choice but to return to the screen. In 1932 Billie Burke made her come-back to Hollywood , starred as Margaret Fairlfield in '' A Bill Of Divorcement '', directed by George Cukor , better known as Katharine Hepburn 's first movie appearance (she played Hepburn's mother). Despite the death of Florenz Ziegfeld during the film's production, Billie Burke resumed filming shortly after his funeral. In 1936, MGM filmed a biopic of her deceased husband ('' The Great Ziegfeld ''), a film that won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actress ( Luise Rainer as Ziegfeld's first wife, Anna Held ). Burke was herself a character in the film, but she was not cast as herself. Instead, prominent actress Myrna Loy essayed the role of Burke, an irony that amused Hollywood at the time. In 1933, Burke was cast as Mrs. Millicent Jordan, a scatterbrained high-society woman hosting a dinner party in the witty comedy '' Dinner At Eight '', directed by George Cukor , co-starring with Lionel Barrymore , Marie Dressler , John Barrymore , Jean Harlow and Wallace Beery . The movie was a great success, and once again Billie Burke was back on top. She subsequently starred in many comedies and musicals, especially as a ditzy, fluffy and feather-brained upper-class matron, a popular casting decision due to her delightful comedic talent and helium-filled voice. In 1937 she started the '' Topper '' series of films, about a man haunted by two socialite ghosts (played by Cary Grant and Constance Bennett ), in which she played the tremulous and daffy Clara Topper. Her performance as Emily Kilbourne in ''Merrily We Live'' (1938) resulted in her only Oscar nomination. In 1939 she was chosen to play Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the Oscar-winning seminal musical '' The Wizard Of Oz '', directed by Victor Fleming , with Judy Garland . As Glinda, the Good Witch, Burke combined pathos, humor and her inimitable dizziness into a character known as an icon of goodness, strength and wisdom. As recently as 2005, Singer Patterns offered children the chance to dress up as Glinda for Halloween, selling a dress pattern copying the peach chiffon and tulle extravaganza Burke wore in the film. Another successful series followed with '' Father Of The Bride '' (1950) and ''Father's Little Dividend'' (1951), both directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Spencer Tracy , Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor . On CBS Radio , ''The Billie Burke Show'' was heard on Saturday mornings from April 3 , 1943 to September 21 , 1946 . Sponsored by Listerine, this situation comedy was initially titled ''Fashions in Rations'' during its first year. Portraying herself as a featherbrained Good Samaritan who lived "in the little white house on Sunnyview Lane," she always offered a helping hand to those in her neighborhood. She worked often in early TV , appearing in the short-lived Sitcom ''Doc Corkle'' (1952). At the age of 60, Billie Burke tried to make a comeback on the as well, although her mind became clouded, and she had trouble remembering lines. In the late 1950s, her failing memory led to her retirement from the show business, although her explanation for that was, "Acting just wasn't any fun anymore." ]] Her last screen appearance was in ''Sergeant Rutledge'', a Western directed by John Ford in 1960. She wrote two Autobiographies , ''With a Feather on My Nose'' in 1949 , and ''With Powder on My Nose'' in 1959. Billie Burke died in Los Angeles, California of natural causes at the age of 85 in 1970 and was interred at Kensico Cemetery , Valhalla, New York , survived by her daughter, Patricia, four grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. For many years, her framed photo was displayed above the exit staircase at New York 's Ziegfeld Theater, but it curiously vanished after renovations to the Ziegfeld Theater during the 1990s. LISTEN TO
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