ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY: BIOGRAPHY - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Elizabeth Montgomery (1933-1995) was a prominent American actress, best known for her lead role in the comedy Bewitched, which was broadcast on television for eight years. She grew up in a privileged situation, as her parents also worked in the world of acting.

He won nine Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes. He worked on 24 movies and acted on 250 television shows. She showed her passion for acting from a very young age, as she was only 19 years old in the drama Top Secret.

Elizabeth Montgomery in 1967. Source: ABC Television

Early years and education

American actress Elizabeth Montgomery was born on April 15, 1933, in Los Angeles, California. She attended Westlake School for Girls and Spencer School in New York. From the latter school she graduated to enroll in the Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she studied for three years.

Family

Elizabeth Montgomery was fortunate to grow up in an upper-class family, enjoying a quiet and peaceful childhood with her parents and siblings.

His father, Robert Montgomery, was a prominent director and actor; her mother, Elizabeth Allen, also worked on Broadway. Montgomery had a brother, Robert Montgomery Jr., born in 1936, and a sister, Marta Brian Montgomery, who died within a year of life.

Four marriages

Being very young, at age 21, she married Frederic Gallatin, although the marriage barely lasted a year. In 1956 she remarried Gig Young, a television actor and winner of an Oscar. This union was broken in 1962, when they divorced.

With 30 years and two divorces in tow, Elizabeth remarried Bewitched producer William Asher in 1963. With him she had three children: Robert, Rebecca and William Allen. Her marriage to Asher lasted 10 years.

In 1993 she married who would be her last partner until her death, actor Robert Foxworth.

First appearance on television

Thanks to her father having a television show, Robert Montgomery Presents, Elizabeth was able to make her first appearance on this show in 1951. In 1956 she made her Broadway debut in Late Love, a performance that would earn her a World Theater Award. In 1959, her performance in The Untouchables earned her her first Emmy Award nomination.

Part of his filmography can be mentioned in prominent roles in: Bitter inheritance, The spiral staircase, Who is sleeping in my bed ?, The victim, A case of rape, Dark victory, Act of violence, The rules of marriage, Face to face, Sins of mother, etc.

Bewitched

It was in 1964 she landed the role of Samantha Stephens in the television series Bewitched. Samantha was a determined and loving woman, married to Darrin (Dick Sargent).

On their wedding night Darrin discovered that his wife had magical powers. Darrin tries to hide from the neighbors and his boss all the nonsense that happens in his house, while his wife Samantha tries to lead a normal life.

The television series caused an immediate sensation and was the number one comedy in its first four years, an issue that brought Montgomery to fame.

It was on the air for eight seasons and, although in the end the audience declined a bit, it was able to air a ninth season, from 1972 to 1973, the year in which it stopped airing. Also relevant was the fact that Elizabeth's marriage to the director of Bewitched was coming to an end.

Little Witch Paper

After the success of Bewitched, Montgomery, along with her still husband Asher, played the role of witch at the end of the film How to fill a wild bikini, in 1965. The same year she also lent her voice of Samantha in the animated series The Flintstones.

Cookie commercial

The role of Samantha and her peculiar nose movement led Montgomery to make commercials for Japanese television for three years, beginning in 1980.

Later she moved away from Hollywood and dramatic roles in the style of Samantha from Bewitched. She also appeared rarely on the game show Password. One of her Emy Award nominations came in 1978 when she played the role of a pioneer in 19th century Ohio in the miniseries Earth Awakening.

Other relevant appearances

In 1977's Killing a Romance, Montgomery played a detective who ends up having an affair with a partner who is married, a man played by OJ Simpson.

In 1985's Amos, she played a nurse who abused her pupils and recognized herself for being vicious; it was a rare villain role.

One of his last roles was in Batman: the animated series, in the chapter "Confrontation". And she was also in a last television detective series, Edna Buchanan.

Activist

Elizabeth Montgomery was a well-known activist in certain social causes. She fought for women to have their place in society recognized.

He was also of liberal and progressive political tendencies, supporting the LGBT community and fighting in favor of homosexual rights; He was also against the Vietnam War. He was part of the Gay Pride Parade in Los Angeles in 1992, three years before he died.

Sickness and death

Montgomery had been diagnosed with colon cancer several years before she died, but apparently she had no symptoms again and was quiet for some time. Even during a recording she ignored some symptoms believing they were a simple flu.

But in 1995 the cancer returned and had spread to her liver. Montgomery spent the last few days away from Hollywood, in a house in Beverly Hills. She died at the age of 62, eight weeks after the cancer had returned to her.

Star in the Hall of Fame

After his death, his 794-acre Patterson estate was sold to New York State, where Wonder Lake State Park was built. In 2005 a statue was erected in his honor in Salem and he has had a star in the Hollywood Hall of Fame since 2008.

References

1. Agencies (2018). 1995: Elizabeth Montgomery, famous for her participation in Bewitched, takes her last breath. Recovered from elsiglodetorreon.com.mx
2. Biography (nd). Elizabeth Montgomery. Biography. Recovered from biography.com
3. Claussen, B. (2019). Biography: Elizabeth Montgomery (1987). Recovered from Youtube.com
4. Las Américas newspaper (2014). 50 years of "Bewitched", magic and gender fight with a nose movement. Recovered from diariolasamericas.com
5. Mejino, L. (2016). Bewitched: The most famous nose move in history. Recovered from blogs.diariovasco.com