Billie Burke

Billie Burke (1884 – 1970)

The First Lady of Whimsical Elegance

Billie Burke: A Life in Light and Lace

Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke, known to the world as Billie Burke, was born on August 7, 1884, in Washington, D.C. Her unusual birth name reflected a family sense of humor—her father, a circus clown and promoter named William “Billy” Burke, appended male middle names to his daughter’s for comic effect. This blend of whimsy and theatricality would foreshadow Billie’s own lifelong charm, elegance, and gentle sense of mischief that would captivate audiences for decades.

Early Years and the Allure of the Stage

Billie’s childhood was steeped in the world of entertainment. Her father worked with Barnum & Bailey’s Circus, and her earliest years were spent traveling across America and Europe with the troupe. The exposure to show business at such a young age made the stage feel like home. While living in London, she fell in love with the theater and decided to pursue acting seriously.

She made her stage debut in London at the age of 18 in The School Girl and soon returned to the United States, where she began a successful Broadway career. Billie became a darling of the New York stage in the first decade of the 20th century, known for her beauty, refined voice, and ability to combine innocence with a touch of sophistication. Her Broadway performances in plays like Mrs. Dot and The Runaway made her one of the most celebrated stage actresses of the time.

Rising Film Star and the Silent Screen

With the advent of silent films, Billie transitioned to the screen in 1915 with the film Peggy, reportedly becoming one of the highest-paid actresses in the world at the time. Her screen presence was luminous—dainty yet intelligent, with expressive eyes and comedic timing that came through even without spoken dialogue.

She starred in Gloria’s Romance (1916), a 20-part film serial, and became a major box office draw. Despite her success, Billie never felt completely at home in silent films; her talents, particularly her voice, were better suited for the stage and, later, for talking pictures.

Marriage to a Show Business Legend

In 1914, Billie married Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., the famed impresario behind the Ziegfeld Follies. Their union was both romantic and strategic—Ziegfeld admired her talent and sophistication, and Billie, ever practical, valued the security and influence he provided. They had one daughter, Patricia Ziegfeld, born in 1916.

Their marriage was not without its struggles. Ziegfeld was a legendary womanizer and suffered frequent financial troubles, especially during the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Billie stood by him through it all, including his failing health, until his death in 1932 from pleurisy.

A Career Reborn in Hollywood

Widowed and financially strained during the Great Depression, Billie returned to acting—this time in talking pictures. She reinvented herself not as a romantic lead but as a character actress, often playing fluttery, aristocratic mothers and socialites with a refined eccentricity that became her trademark.

Some of her most beloved performances came in this second phase of her career:

• Dinner at Eight (1933) – a sparkling performance as the high-strung hostess, Millicent Jordan
• Topper (1937) – as the delightfully oblivious Mrs. Topper
• Merrily We Live (1938) – a role that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress
• Her most iconic role: Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz (1939). With her sparkling gown, crystal wand, and soothing voice, Billie created one of the most enduring images in American film.

 

Through the 1940s and '50s, she continued to work in films and radio, hosting The Billie Burke Show and making guest appearances on television. Her film appearances gradually tapered off, though she remained a beloved figure in Hollywood.

Personal Life, Interests, and Character

Privately, Billie was known for her gentility, quick wit, and refined tastes. She was a lover of fashion, often designing her own costumes or giving input on her wardrobe. She was also known for her civility and warmth, rarely caught in scandal or gossip.

She published a memoir, With a Feather on My Nose, in 1949, and later a follow-up, With Powder on My Nose, both written in her charming, self-effacing style. She wrote candidly about her rise, her marriage to Ziegfeld, and her love for the theater and film.

Her daughter Patricia went on to write her own book about life with her famous parents, giving insight into the personal warmth and occasional worries of Billie behind the scenes.

Final Years and Passing

As she aged, Billie withdrew from public life. Her memory began to fade in the 1960s, and she spent her last years in Los Angeles, surrounded by caretakers and family. Despite her diminished capacity in her final years, those who visited her remarked on her continuing grace and gentle demeanor.

Billie Burke died on May 14, 1970, at the age of 85, from natural causes related to heart failure. She was laid to rest at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, beside her husband.

Legacy

Billie Burke’s legacy is multifaceted. To some, she will forever be Glinda the Good Witch, descending in a bubble of light. To others, she is the epitome of early Hollywood elegance and comic brilliance. She was a star who shone across mediums—stage, screen, radio, and television—and left behind a legacy of timeless performances and personal dignity.

Measurements and Physical Stats of Billie Burke

• Height: Approximately 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm)
• Weight: Estimated around 110–115 lbs (50–52 kg) in her prime
• Figure: Slim and petite, often described as willowy or gracefully slender
• Hair: Reddish-brown in her youth, often styled in soft waves or curls
• Eyes: Blue or blue-gray (described variously in profiles)
• Voice: High-pitched, airy, and lyrical—one of her most distinctive features
• Style: Known for wearing lace, pastel colors, and flowing gowns, especially in roles; in real life she had a taste for Parisian fashion and light, feminine looks

 

Billie Burke’s Net Worth

Complete, reliable figures for Billie Burke’s net worth are not available. She passed away in 1970, long before modern net‑worth estimates were common, and much of her wealth was lost during the 1929 Wall Street Crash

Here’s what is known:

• She and her husband Florenz Ziegfeld lost significant assets during the crash of 1929, which led Billie to return to acting to support her family
• Although she earned a substantial income during her Hollywood career—especially during her most famous period of the 1930s and 1940s—there’s no public record or credible source estimating her net worth at the time of her death.

 

Video Biography Billie Burke

 

Billie Burke’s Acting Style: Grace, Gossamer, and Gentle Irony

Billie Burke’s performances were defined by a lightness of touch, a kind of graceful eccentricity that made her uniquely compelling. Whether playing a flustered society matron or a benevolent fairy godmother, she brought to her roles a blend of refined femininity, quick comic timing, and emotional clarity.

Voice and Mannerisms: The Burke Signature

One of Burke’s most recognizable traits was her fluttery, melodic voice, often described as high-pitched, breathy, and lilting. Far from being a limitation, it became one of her greatest assets. She used vocal inflection not just for charm, but as a comedic instrument—exaggerating certain words, trailing off dramatically, or allowing her voice to tremble with humorous anxiety. This made her especially effective at playing characters on the verge of nervous collapse, yet always maintaining composure with a comedic wink.

Her physical acting was similarly stylized but never rigid. She used exaggerated gestures—tilted heads, raised brows, dramatic pauses—to portray confusion, delight, or genteel outrage, often in ways that played off the chaos around her. She was the picture of cultivated disorder: someone who seemed overwhelmed, but always held the scene in her hands.

Comic Craftsmanship and Character Typing

Burke became a master of the comedic matron: upper-class women who were absent-minded, verbose, or idealistic, but always well-meaning. In films like Dinner at Eight, Topper, and Merrily We Live, she refined this character type into something uniquely her own—not a caricature, but a layered portrait of privilege, kindness, and scattered logic.

Despite playing often naïve or oblivious characters, Burke’s intelligence shone through. She had an instinct for timing and subtle irony, delivering lines in ways that made her seem both in and out of the joke at the same time. This delicate balance made her performances both funny and unexpectedly moving.

Stage Influence and Theatricality

Trained on the stage in Edwardian England and Broadway, Burke brought a certain theatrical elegance to her screen work. Her background in drawing-room comedies and society plays gave her a fine-tuned awareness of comic pacing, stage presence, and the rhythms of witty dialogue. She wasn’t method or naturalist—she was a performer, in the classic sense of the word, channeling style into sincerity.

Emotional Palette and Role Sensitivity

Although best remembered for comedy, Burke also had the ability to convey gentle sadness, loyalty, and maternal warmth. Her role in A Bill of Divorcement opposite Katharine Hepburn revealed a more serious, emotional range—subdued but effective. Even in fantastical roles like Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, there’s a quiet strength beneath the sparkle. She projected a moral clarity, a sense of decency, that made her characters trustworthy, even when they were confused or quirky.

Legacy of Style

In an era when many actresses aimed to appear tough, worldly, or seductive, Billie Burke embraced the opposite: delicacy, grace, and genteel chaos. Her style may seem old-fashioned by modern standards, but it remains a lesson in theatrical timing, character discipline, and how to steal a scene without raising your voice.

Even when she was playing the fool, Billie Burke never lost her dignity—and that, more than anything, was the secret to her enduring charm.

Memorable Quotes of Billie Burke

“Age is something that doesn’t matter, unless you are a cheese.”
– One of Burke’s most quoted lines, capturing her sense of humor about aging and self-image.

“I’d rather be a light comedienne than a tragic actress.”
– Reflecting her personal preference for bringing joy and laughter rather than heaviness to audiences.

“Acting just sort of happened to me. I was never what you'd call a born actress. I became one through my marriage.”
– Speaking candidly about how marrying Florenz Ziegfeld shifted her career from stage to screen and brought practical need into the mix.

“My voice had a way of sounding like a silver spoon dropping into a delicate porcelain cup.”
– A tongue-in-cheek remark on her famously fluttery, high-pitched voice, which she often used to comedic effect.

“I never enjoyed making movies. It was hard, grueling work, not at all like the stage, which I adored.”
– An honest reflection on her preference for theater over Hollywood, despite her fame in films.

“I was never afraid of being silly. Silly can be endearing—if you do it with conviction.”
– From With a Feather on My Nose, showing her understanding of comic timing and character.

“Florenz never expected me to be practical. He always said I was born with my head in a birdcage.”
– A humorous reflection on her late husband and the contrast between their personalities.

Memorable Movie Lines as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz

“Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?”
– One of Glinda’s most iconic lines, delivered with amused gentleness when she meets Dorothy.

“You’ve always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.”
– A beloved, often-quoted line from Glinda that has become inspirational well beyond the film itself.

“Only bad witches are ugly.”
– Said playfully to reassure Dorothy—another line that showcases Billie Burke’s comic delivery wrapped in fairy-tale sweetness.

“It’s always best to start at the beginning.”
– Glinda’s advice to Dorothy, delivered with Burke’s trademark calm and cheerful authority.

Awards and Recognition

Academy Award Nomination – Best Supporting Actress
1939 (11th Academy Awards) for Merrily We Live (1938)

Role: Emily Kilbourne, a well-meaning, scatterbrained society matron who takes in a vagrant as a butler.

This was Burke’s only Oscar nomination, and it marked a high point in her “second career” as a comic character actress during the sound era.

Legacy and Recognition

Hollywood Walk of Fame
Star at 6617 Hollywood Boulevard

Awarded for her contributions to the motion picture industry.

This permanent public honor reflects her cultural importance to the early years of Hollywood film.

Posthumous Recognition in Film Literature
Burke is regularly cited in retrospectives and scholarly discussions of:

Early 20th-century stage-to-screen actresses

Women in screwball comedy

Character actresses of the Golden Age

The Topper series and The Wizard of Oz legacy

AFI Honors & Lists (Indirect)
While she is not directly listed in the American Film Institute's “100 Years” series, her most famous film, The Wizard of Oz, has been listed multiple times, indirectly honoring her legacy:

The Wizard of Oz is ranked among AFI's Top 10 Greatest Movies

Glinda, her character, is widely regarded as one of cinema’s most beloved magical figures.

Cultural & Historical Legacy

Glinda the Good Witch – Cultural Icon Status

Her portrayal of Glinda has transcended film to become a staple of pop culture, especially in fantasy, children’s media, and LGBTQ+ symbolism.

Her image as Glinda is one of the most merchandised and referenced from The Wizard of Oz, influencing modern adaptations like Wicked and countless parodies, homages, and Halloween costumes.

Biographical Recognition

Billie Burke was the subject of several biographies and memoirs:

• With a Feather on My Nose (1949) – her own memoir
• With Powder on My Nose (1959) – a second volume
• She is also prominently featured in books about her husband, Florenz Ziegfeld, and the Ziegfeld Follies

 

Billie Burke Movies

Silent Era (1915–1921)

• 1915 – Peggy (Peggy Cameron)
  Burke’s debut feature: a spirited young woman navigating societal constraints and romantic entanglements.
• 1916 – Gloria’s Romance (Gloria Stafford)
  A 20-part serial following Gloria’s trials and adventures in love and high society.
• 1917 – The Mysterious Miss Terry (Mavis Terry)
  A comedic drama with romantic intrigue; presumed lost.
• 1917 – Arms and the Girl (Ruth Sherwood)
  Silent society comedy about romance and social expectations.
• 1918 – Let's Get a Divorce (Mme. Cyprienne Marcey)
  A comedic take on divorce and marital misunderstandings.
• 1920 – The Frisky Mrs. Johnson (Belle Johnson)
  Widow Belle navigates family reputations and rekindled love; silent comedy based on Clyde Fitch’s play.
• 1919 – The Misleading Widow (Betty Taradine)
  A British village-set romantic comedy involving a widow, mistaken identities, and reconciliation.
• 1921 – The Education of Elizabeth (Elizabeth Banks)
  A comedic take on love and societal expectations (lost).

 

Transition to Sound & Hollywood Revival (1932–1939)

• 1932 – A Bill of Divorcement (Meg/Margaret Fairfield)
  Meg hosts her daughter Sydney (Katharine Hepburn) during her husband's institutionalization. Burke supports the family’s emotional arc.
• 1933 – Dinner at Eight (Millicent Jordan)
  A high-society hostess under pressure during a jaded dinner party—Burke shines in this star-studded George Cukor comedy.
• 1933 – Christopher Strong (Lady Elaine Strong)
  A dramatic tale of love and scandal as a fabled aviatrix’s affair tests upper-class norms.
• 1934 – Finishing School (Mrs. Helen Crawford Radcliffe)
  A young woman challenges social rules and norms at an elite boarding school.
• 1935 – Becky Sharp (Lady Bareacres)
  Burke plays a foil in this adaptation of Thackeray’s satire Vanity Fair, charting a social-climber’s ascent.
• 1937 – Topper (Mrs. Clara Topper)
  A comedic classic: Burke plays the befuddled socialite whose husband (Roland Young) is haunted by ghosts (Cary Grant, Constance Bennett).
• 1938 – Merrily We Live (Mrs. Emily Kilbourne)
  Academy-nominated: a matron takes in a stranger as chauffeur, only for comedic chaos ensues.
• 1939 – The Wizard of Oz (Glinda the Good Witch)
  Her most iconic role: the benevolent witch who guides Dorothy with wisdom and kindness.

 

Later Sound Era (1940–1960)

• 1942 – The Man Who Came to Dinner (Mrs. Daisy Stanley)
  Adapted Broadway comedic chaos ensues after a critic’s accidental stay stretches indefinitely.
• 1945 – Swing Out, Sister (Jessica Mariman)
  A mild-mannered woman embraces jazz-era excitement while keeping her conservative family secret.
• 1950 – Father of the Bride (Doris Dunstan)
  A charming matriarch navigating wedding chaos with disappearing finances and familial love.
• 1951 – Father’s Little Dividend (Doris Dunstan)
  Sequel about grandparenting, aging, and family adjustments.
• 1959 – The Young Philadelphians (Mrs. J. Arthur Allen)
  A supporting role in a drama about a lawyer’s societal and ethical challenges.
• 1960 – Sergeant Rutledge (Mrs. Cordelia Fosgate)
  Her final film—John Ford Western about race, justice, and honor, in a dignified cameo.