Billie Burke 08.07.1884 - 05.14.1970 (86 years old)

Billie Burke is probably best known for her role as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the Wizard of Oz. Born into a circus family that traveled the United States and Europe, she married Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. in 1914 but not before beginning her acting career on the stage in London's West End in 1903. Burke worked steadily on the stage in both London and New York but in 1916 Hollywood beckoned and she made her film debut in 1916. In 1921 she retired to be a wife and mother plus she didn't need to work but the 1929 crash wiped out all of the family's investments sending Burke back to the movies.

With Ziegfeld's death in 1932, it was even more imperative for Burke to continue working. She starred in the Topper films and many others often as a ditzy lady. During this time she also appeared on several radio shows including The Billie Burke Show on CBS from 1946 to 1949. In her show she continued the ditzy lady routine but she was a ditz with a heart always helping her neighbors and people in need. Click here to read more about Billie Burke