| Billie Burke | |
|---|---|
 Billie Burke in the film Topper Returns |
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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. |
| Spouse(s) | Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. (1914-1932) |
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" 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 film The Wizard of Oz. Topper Returns is the third and final entry in the film series inspired by the novels of Thorne Smith. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Florenz Ziegfeld Jr ( March 21, 1869 &ndash July 22, 1932) called Flo Ziegfeld, was an American Broadway Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Glinda (or Glinda the Good Witch) is a Fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical - Fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children’s
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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. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A circus is most commonly a traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, Clowns trained animals trapeze acts Hoopers, tightrope walkers Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by their Grotesque appearance colored wigs stylistic makeup, outlandish Costumes unusually Her family ultimately settled in London where she was fortunate to see plays in London's historic West End. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial
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. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located 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. Charles Frohman ( July 15 1856 – May 7, 1915) was a Jewish American theatrical producer Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located 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. Florenz Ziegfeld Jr ( March 21, 1869 &ndash July 22, 1932) called Flo Ziegfeld, was an American Broadway In 1916, they had one daughter, Patricia Ziegfeld Stephenson. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Patricia Ziegfeld Stephenson ( October 23, 1916 - April 11, 2008) was an American Author. [2] 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 also because it allowed her to have speaking parts (impossible in silent movies). But when the family's savings were wiped out in the Crash of 1929, she had no choice but to return to the screen. The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the ’29 Crash, the Crash of 1929, the Great Crash of 1929, the Great Crash of October 1929
In 1932 Billie Burke made her Hollywood comeback, starring as Margaret Fairfield in A Bill of Divorcement, directed by George Cukor, though the film is better known as Katharine Hepburn's film debut (Burke played Hepburn's mother). A Bill of Divorcement is a British play written by Clemence Dane that debuted in 1921 in London. George Dewey Cukor ( July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director. Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12 1907 – June 29 2003 was an American actress of film television and stage Despite the death of Florenz Ziegfeld during the film's production, Billie Burke resumed filming shortly after his funeral. Florenz Ziegfeld Jr ( March 21, 1869 &ndash July 22, 1932) called Flo Ziegfeld, was an American Broadway
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 common-law wife, Anna Held). The Great Ziegfeld ( 1936) is a Musical film produced by MGM. Luise Rainer (born January 12, 1910) is a two-time Academy Award -winning German Film Actress. Helene Anna Held ( March 8, 1872 &ndash August 12, 1918) was a Polish -born stage performer most often associated with Impresario 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. Myrna Loy ( August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American Motion picture Actress. Coincidentally, Ray Bolger who was later cast as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939) also starred as himself in the movie. Ray Bolger ( January 10 1904 – January 15 1987) was an American entertainer of stage and screen best known for his portrayal of The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical - Fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children’s The year 1939 in film involved some significant events Events Movie historians and film buffs often look back on the year 1939 as "the
In 1933, Burke was cast as Mrs. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Millicent Jordan, a scatterbrained high-society woman hosting a dinner party in the comedy Dinner at Eight, directed by George Cukor, co-starring with Lionel Barrymore, Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Jean Harlow and Wallace Beery. Dinner at Eight is a Pre-Code 1933 Comedy of manners /drama produced by MGM Studios. George Dewey Cukor ( July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director. Lionel Barrymore ( April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American Academy Award -winning actor of stage radio Marie Dressler ( November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was an Academy Award -winning Canadian actress John Sidney Blyth Barrymore ( February 15 1882 – May 29 1942) was an American Actor, frequently called the greatest Jean Harlow ( March 3, &ndash June 7,) was an American Film Actress and Sex symbol of the 1930s Wallace Beery ( April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American Academy Award -winning actor arguably best known The movie was a great success, and revived Burke's career. She subsequently starred in many comedies and musicals, typecast as a ditzy, fluffy and feather-brained upper-class matron, due to her helium-filled voice.
In 1937 she appeared in the first of 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. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Topper ( 1937) is a Comedy film which tells the story of a stuffy stuck-in-his-ways man who is haunted by the ghosts of a fun-loving married couple Constance Campbell Bennett ( October 22, 1904 &ndash July 24, 1965) was an American actress. Her performance as Emily Kilbourne in Merrily We Live (1938) resulted in her only Oscar nomination. Merrily We Live is a 1938 film directed by Norman Z McLeod and starring Constance Bennett, Bonita Granville, Brian Aherne "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film.
In 1938 (at age 53) she was chosen to play Glinda, "the Good Witch of the North", in the Oscar-winning seminal 1939 musical film The Wizard of Oz, directed by Victor Fleming, with Judy Garland. Glinda (or Glinda the Good Witch) is a Fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical - Fantasy film mainly directed by Victor Fleming and based on the 1900 children’s For the Arkansas lawyer and judge Victor A Fleming, see Vic Fleming. Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10 1922 – June 22 1969 was an American actress and singer 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. Father of the Bride is a 1950 comedy film which tells the story of a man trying to cope with all of the disasters that happen along the way from the time that his daughter Father's Little Dividend is a 1951 Comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, and Elizabeth Vincente Minnelli ( February 28, 1903 &ndash July 25, 1986) was a famous Academy Award -winning Hollywood director Spencer Tracy ( April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was a two-time Academy Award -winning Actor of stage and Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27 &ndashDecember 7) was an Emmy -nominated American stage film and television actress Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born 27 February 1932) is a two-time Academy Award -winning English-American actress
She wrote two autobiographies, both with Cameron Van Shippe: With a Feather on My Nose (Appleton 1949) and With Powder on My Nose (Coward McCann, 1959).
Radio and television
On CBS radio, The Billie Burke Show was heard on Saturday mornings from April 3, 1943 to September 21, 1946. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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). Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic
Burke tried to make a comeback on the New York stage. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous She starred in two short-lived productions: This Rock and Mrs. January and Mr. Ex. Although Burke got good reviews, the plays did not. She appeared in several plays in California as well, although her mind became clouded, and she had trouble remembering lines. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. In the late 1950s, her failing memory led to her retirement from 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. Towerkensicojpg|thumb|The Tower at the upper entrance to Kensico Cemetery]] Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County New York, was founded The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts.
Death
Billie Burke died in Los Angeles, California of dementia, thought to be Alzheimer's and natural causes, aged 85, in 1970 and was interred at Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, Westchester County, New York, survived by her daughter, Patricia, and four grandchildren. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Dementia (from Latin de- "apart away" + Mens ( genitive mentis) "mind" is the progressive decline Alzheimer's disease ( AD) also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of Dementia. In Medicine, death by natural causes is a loosely-defined term used by Coroners describing Death when the cause of death was a naturally occurring disease Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Towerkensicojpg|thumb|The Tower at the upper entrance to Kensico Cemetery]] Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County New York, was founded Westchester County is a primarily Suburban county located in the U [3]
Legacy
For many years, Burke's framed photo was displayed above the exit staircase at New York's Ziegfeld Theatre, but it curiously vanished after renovations to it. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Ziegfeld Theatre was a Broadway Theatre formerly located at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 54th Street in Manhattan, However, an opening night program, bearing a picture of Burke, from her 1912 triumph The Mind The Paint Girl (Sir Arthur Wing Pinero) is still displayed in the lobby of the Lyceum Theatre in New York City.
Quote
"Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese. "
Listen to
Radio
- The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air - 1932
- Good News of 1939 - 1938
- The Rudy Vallee Hour - 1939
- The Gulf Screen Guild Theater - 1939
- The Rudy Vallee Sealtest Show - 1940-41
- The Pepsodent Show - 1941
- The Billie Burke Show - 1943-1946
- Duffy's Tavern - 1944
- The Sealtest Village Store - 1944
- Mail Call - 1944
- The Charlie McCarthy Show - 1944-47
- Tribute to Ethel Barrymore - 1945
- The Rudy Vallee Show - 1945
- Show Stoppers - 1946
- The Danny Kaye Show - 1946
- WOR 25th Anniversary - 1947
- Your Movietown Radio Theatre - 1948
- The Eddie Cantor Pabst Blue Ribbon Show - 1948
- Family Theater - 1948-52
- This Is Show Business - 1949
- The Martin and Lewis Show - 1949
- The Bill Stern Colgate Sports Newsreel - 1949
- Stagestruck -1954
- Biography in Sound - 1955-56
Broadway
- My Wife - 1907
- Love Watches - 1908
- Mrs. The Screen Guild Theater was a popular radio Anthology series during the Golden Age of Radio broadcast from 1939 until 1952 with leading Hollywood Duffy's Tavern, an American radio Situation comedy ( CBS, 1941-1942 NBC-Blue Network, 1942-1944 NBC, 1944-1952 Family Theater was an Old-time radio show which aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System in the United States from February 13, 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. Suzanne was an American Broadway comedy play that was written by Frantz Fonson and Fernand Wicheler History The Follies were lavish Revues something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class Vaudeville Variety show. History The Follies were lavish Revues something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class Vaudeville Variety show. History The Follies were lavish Revues something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class Vaudeville Variety show. January and Mr. X - 1944
Filmography
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References
- ^ Franklin, Barnett (February 1909). Swing Out Sister is a Musical film starring Rod Cameron and Billie Burke. The Cheaters ( 1945) also know as The Castaway, is a virtually unknown Christmas tale about a has-been actor invited to Christmas dinner by a The Barkleys of Broadway is a 1949 Musical film from the Arthur Freed unit at MGM that reunited Fred Astaire and Ginger Father of the Bride is a 1950 comedy film which tells the story of a man trying to cope with all of the disasters that happen along the way from the time that his daughter Father's Little Dividend is a 1951 Comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, and Elizabeth The Young Philadelphians is a 1959 film starring Paul Newman and Barbara Rush, and directed by Vincent Sherman. Sergeant Rutledge is a 1960 film directed by John Ford, with Woody Strode in the title role Pepe is a 1960 movie starring Mario "Cantinflas" Moreno in the title role directed by George Sidney. "That Extraordinary Personage, The Theatrical Press Agent". Overland Monthly LIII (2): 93.
- ^ "Patricia Ziegfeld Stephenson, Daughter of Legendary Broadway Impresario", Jazz News, 2008-04-25. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople
- ^ "Billie Burke Dead; Movie Comedienne; Billie Burke, Film Comedienne And Once a Stage Beauty, Dies.", New York Times, May 16, 1970. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople "Billie Burke, a great Broadway beauty when the century was young and later renowned as a movie comedienne, died last night at the age of 84. "
External links
- Billie Burke at the Internet Movie Database
- "Much More Than a Good Witch" by Anne Fliotsos
- Biography of Billie Burke by Grant Hayter-Menzies
- Billie Burke as Glinda the Good Witch
- 1906 postcard of Burke
- Billie Burke at Find A Grave
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Burke, Billie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Burke, Mary William Ethelbert Appleton |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 7, 1884 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 14, 1970 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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