Agnes Moorehead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Agnes Moorehead
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![]() 20th Century Fox publicity photograph, c. 1964
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Born |
Agnes Robertson Moorehead
December 6, 1900 Clinton, Massachusetts, U.S.
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Died | April 30, 1974 Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.
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(aged 73)
Resting place | Dayton Memorial Park, Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1933–1974 |
Spouse(s) |
John Griffith Lee
(m. 1930; div. 1952) |
Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900 – April 30, 1974) was a talented American actress. She worked in radio, on stage, in movies, and on television for over 50 years! Agnes Moorehead won many awards, including an Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. She was also nominated for four Academy Awards, which are very famous movie awards.
You might know her best as Endora, the funny and sometimes grumpy witch mother on the TV show Bewitched. She played this role from 1964 to 1972. She also had important roles in classic movies like Citizen Kane (1941) and Show Boat (1951).
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Agnes Moorehead's Early Life
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was born on December 6, 1900, in Clinton, Massachusetts. Her mother, Mary, was a singer, and her father, John Henderson Moorehead, was a church leader. Agnes loved acting from a very young age. She remembered performing for the first time when she was just three years old! She recited a prayer in her father's church.
Her family later moved to St. Louis, Missouri. Agnes's dream of becoming an actress grew stronger there. Her mother encouraged her imagination. Agnes and her younger sister, Peggy, often pretended to be different people, even imitating their father's church members at dinner!
Education and Early Acting
As a young woman, Agnes joined a theater group called "The Muny" in St. Louis. She also loved religion throughout her life. Later, other actors would remember her bringing her Bible to the set along with her script.
Agnes went to Muskingum College in Ohio and earned a degree in biology in 1923. She also acted in college plays. Later, she received an honorary degree from the college. She taught public school for five years in Wisconsin. Then, she earned a master's degree in English and public speaking from the University of Wisconsin. She continued her studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and graduated with honors in 1929.
Her Amazing Acting Career
Agnes Moorehead's early acting days were tough. She often couldn't find work, and she once went four days without food. This experience taught her how important money was. She eventually found work in radio and became very popular. She often worked on several radio shows in one day! Agnes believed that radio acting helped her develop her voice and create many different characters.
Joining the Mercury Theatre


By 1937, Agnes Moorehead joined Orson Welles' famous Mercury Players. She was one of his main actors, along with Joseph Cotten. She performed in Welles' radio shows, like The Mercury Theatre on the Air. She also had a regular role as Margo Lane in the radio series The Shadow.
In 1939, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre moved to Hollywood. Agnes Moorehead made her movie debut in Welles' first film, Citizen Kane (1941). This movie is considered one of the best films ever made! Moorehead played the mother of the main character, Charles Foster Kane. She also appeared in Welles' second film, The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). For this role, she won an award and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Movies and Radio Stardom
Agnes Moorehead received great reviews for her role in Mrs. Parkington (1944). She won a Golden Globe Award and another Academy Award nomination for it. She also appeared in The Big Street (1942) with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball.
By the mid-1940s, Moorehead signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a big movie studio. She was able to earn a good salary and still work on radio shows, which was unusual at the time. She played many different types of characters, including strict older women, nervous single ladies, and funny secretaries. She had supporting roles in movies like Dark Passage (1947) with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. She also played Aggie McDonald in Johnny Belinda (1948). In 1951, she was in MGM's hit musical Show Boat.
Agnes Moorehead was very popular on radio, especially on the CBS show Suspense. She appeared in more episodes of Suspense than any other actor. She was often called the "first lady of Suspense." Her most famous radio performance was in a play called Sorry, Wrong Number (1943). In this play, she played a woman who accidentally overhears a murder plot on the phone and realizes she is the target! She performed this role many times.
Later Films and Television
In the 1950s and 1960s, Moorehead continued to work in movies and on stage. She was in the big movie The Conqueror (1956) with John Wayne. She also starred in The Bat (1959) with Vincent Price. She played the very picky Mrs. Snow in Disney's popular film Pollyanna (1960). In 1964, she starred with Bette Davis in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte. For this role, she was nominated for another Academy Award.
In 1959, Moorehead started appearing on many TV shows. She was in an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Invaders" (1961). In this episode, she played a woman whose farm is attacked by mysterious creatures. She had almost no lines, but her acting was amazing! She also won an Emmy Award for her role in an episode of The Wild Wild West in 1967.
Starring in Bewitched
In 1964, Agnes Moorehead took on the role of Endora in the TV comedy Bewitched. Endora was Samantha's (Elizabeth Montgomery) magical mother who often didn't like humans. Moorehead didn't expect the show to be so popular, but it became a huge hit! She was able to negotiate her contract so she only had to appear in some episodes, which allowed her to work on other projects.
Bewitched was one of the top 10 TV shows for several years. This role made Agnes Moorehead very famous. She received six Emmy Award nominations for playing Endora. Even though she enjoyed the role, she sometimes felt it wasn't challenging enough. She stayed with Bewitched until it ended in 1972. She said she liked working with the show's star, Elizabeth Montgomery.
Later Years and Voice Acting
In the 1970s, Agnes Moorehead's health started to decline. She appeared in the horror film What's the Matter with Helen? (1971) and had a main role in Dear Dead Delilah (1972). This was her last starring role in a movie.
She also lent her voice to the friendly "Goose" in Hanna-Barbera's 1973 animated movie Charlotte's Web. This was based on the popular children's book. Her last acting roles were in two episodes of a radio show called CBS Radio Mystery Theater in January 1974, just a few months before she passed away.
Personal Life
Agnes Moorehead was married twice. In 1930, she married actor John Griffith Lee, but they later divorced in 1952. She then married actor Robert Gist in 1954, and they divorced in 1958.
She rarely talked about her political beliefs in public. However, she supported Franklin Delano Roosevelt and her close friend Ronald Reagan.
Death
Agnes Moorehead passed away from uterine cancer on April 30, 1974, in Rochester, Minnesota. She was 73 years old. Her mother, Mary, lived until 1990 and was 106 years old.
Agnes Moorehead is buried in a crypt at Dayton Memorial Park in Dayton, Ohio. In 1994, she was honored by being added to the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
She left money to Muskingum College for scholarships. She also gave half of her writings to Muskingum and the other half to the University of Wisconsin. Her family's farm in Ohio went to John Brown University.
Acting Credits
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1941 | Citizen Kane | Mary Kane | |
1942 | The Magnificent Ambersons | Fanny Minafer | |
The Big Street | Violette Shumberg | ||
1943 | Journey into Fear | Mrs. Mathews | |
The Youngest Profession | Miss Featherstone | ||
Government Girl | Adele – Mrs. Delancey Wright | ||
Jane Eyre | Mrs. Reed | ||
1944 | Since You Went Away | Mrs. Emily Hawkins | |
Dragon Seed | Third Cousin's Wife | ||
The Seventh Cross | Madame Marelli | ||
Mrs. Parkington | Baroness Aspasia Conti | ||
Tomorrow, the World | Aunt Jesse Frame | ||
1945 | Keep Your Powder Dry | Lieut. Colonel Spottiswoode | |
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes | Bruna Jacobson | ||
Her Highness and the Bellboy | Countess Zoe | ||
1947 | Dark Passage | Madge Rapf | |
The Lost Moment | Juliana Borderau | ||
1948 | Summer Holiday | Cousin Lily | |
The Woman in White | Countess Fosco | ||
Station West | Mrs. Caslon | ||
Johnny Belinda | Aggie MacDonald | ||
1949 | The Stratton Story | Ma Stratton | |
The Great Sinner | Emma Getzel | ||
Without Honor | Katherine Williams | ||
1950 | Caged | Ruth Benton | |
Captain Blackjack | Mrs. Emily Birk | ||
1951 | Fourteen Hours | Christine HIll Cosick | |
Adventures of Captain Fabian | Aunt Jezebel | ||
Show Boat | Parthy Hawks | ||
The Blue Veil | Mrs. Palfrey | ||
1952 | The Blazing Forest | Jessie Crain | |
1953 | The Story of Three Loves | Aunt Lydia | Segment: "The Jealous Lover" |
Scandal at Scourie | Sister Josephine | ||
Main Street to Broadway | Mildred Waterbury | ||
Those Redheads From Seattle | Mrs. Edmonds | ||
1954 | Magnificent Obsession | Nancy Ashford | |
1955 | Untamed | Aggie | |
The Left Hand of God | Beryl Sigman | ||
All That Heaven Allows | Sara Warren | ||
1956 | The Conqueror | Hunlun | |
Meet Me in Las Vegas | Miss Hattie | ||
The Swan | Queen Maria Dominika | ||
The Revolt of Mamie Stover | Bertha Parchman | ||
Pardners | Mrs. Matilda Kingsley | ||
The Opposite Sex | Countess de Brion | ||
1957 | The True Story of Jesse James | Mrs. Samuel | |
Jeanne Eagels | Nellie Neilson | ||
Raintree County | Ellen Shawnessy | ||
The Story of Mankind | Queen Elizabeth I | ||
1958 | The Tempest | Vassilissa Mironova | |
1959 | Night of the Quarter Moon | Cornelia Nelson | |
The Bat | Cornelia van Gorder | ||
1960 | Pollyanna | Mrs. Snow | |
1961 | Twenty Plus Two | Mrs. Eleanor Delaney | |
Bachelor in Paradise | Judge Peterson | ||
1962 | Jessica | Maria Lombardo | |
How the West Was Won | Rebecca Prescott | ||
1963 | Who's Minding the Store? | Mrs. Phoebe Tuttle | |
1964 | Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte | Velma Cruther | |
1966 | The Singing Nun | Sister Cluny | |
1969 | The Ballad of Andy Crocker | Lisa's Mother | |
1971 | What's the Matter with Helen? | Sister Alma | |
1972 | Dear Dead Delilah | Delilah Charles | |
1973 | Charlotte's Web | The Goose | Voice |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1952 | Poor Mr. Campbell | Adrice Campbell | Television movie |
1953 | The Revlon Mirror Theater | Martha Adams | Episode: "Lullaby" |
1955 | The Colgate Comedy Hour | Aunt Minnie | Episode: "Roberta" |
1956 | Matinee Theatre | Mrs. Barnes | Episode: "reybeards and Witches" |
Studio 57 | Mrs. Tolliver | Episode: "Teacher" | |
1957 | Climax! | Irene | Episode: "Locked in Fear" |
Wagon Train | Mary Halstead | Episode: "The Mary Halstead Story" | |
1958 | The DuPont Show of the Month | Madame Defarge | Episode: "A Tale of Two Cities" |
Playhouse 90 | Rose Ganun | Episode: "The Dungeon" | |
Suspicion | Katherine Searles | Episode: "The Protege" | |
1959 | G.E. True Theatre | Ana Konrad Bethlen | Episode: "Deed of Mercy" |
Alcoa Theatre | Mrs. Adams | Episode: "Man of His House" | |
The Rebel | Mrs. Martha Lassiter | Episode: "In Memoriam" | |
1960 | Startime | Carmen Lynch | Episode: "Closed Set" |
The Millionaire | Katherine Boland | Episode: "Millionaire Katherine Boland" | |
The Chevy Mystery Show | Elizabeth Marshall | Episode: "Trial by Fury" | |
Adventures in Paradise | Jikiri | Episode: "The Krismen" | |
Rawhide | Sister Frances | Episode: "Incident at Poco Tiempo" | |
Shirley Temple's Storybook | Hepzibah Pyncheon Mombi the Witch Witch |
3 episodes | |
The Rifleman | Alberta 'Bertie' Hoakam | Episode: "Miss Bertie" season 3, episode 14 | |
1961 | The Twilight Zone | Woman | Episode: "The Invaders" |
My Sister Eileen | Aunt Harriet | 2 episodes | |
1963–1965 | Burke's Law | Pauline Moss Dona Ynez Ortega y Esteban Liz Haggerty |
2 episodes |
1964 | Channing | Professor Amelia Webster | Episode: "Freedom Is a Lovesome Thing God Wot" |
The Greatest Show on Earth | Millie | Episode: "This Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There" | |
1964–1972 | Bewitched | Endora | 146 episodes; Main role |
1966 | The Lone Ranger | Black Widow | Episode: "The Trickster/Crack of Doom/The Human Dynamo" |
1966 | Password | Herself | Game Show Contestant / Celebrity Guest Star |
1967 | The Wild Wild West | Emma Valentine | Episode: "The Night of the Vicious Valentine" |
Custer | Watoma | Episode: "Spirit Woman" | |
1969 | Lancer | Mrs. Normile | Episode: "A Person Unknown" |
The Red Skelton Show | Bertha Bluenose | Episode: "He Wanted to Be a Square Shooter But He Found That his Barrel was Round" | |
1970 | Barefoot in the Park | Mrs. Wilson | Episode: "Pilot" |
The Virginian | Emma Garvey | Episode: "Gun Quest" | |
1971 | Night Gallery | Emma Brigham | 2 episodes |
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | Mrs. Pringle | Episode: "Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove" | |
Love, American Style | Mrs. Cooper | Segment: "Love and the Particular Girl" | |
1971 | Marriage: Year One | Grandma Duden | Television movie |
Suddenly Single | Marlene | Television movie | |
The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove | Mrs. Pringle | Television movie | |
1972 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Mrs. Ramsey | Episode: "He Could Sell Iceboxes to Eskimos" |
Rolling Man | Grandmother | Television movie | |
Night of Terror | Bronsky | Television movie | |
1973 | Frankenstein: The True Story | Mrs. Blair | Television movie |
1974 | Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love | Hercules's Wife | Television movie |
Theater
Year | Play | Role |
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1928 | Courage | Understudy |
1929 | Soldiers and Women | Understudy |
1929 | Scarlet Pages | Company |
1929 | Candle Light | Company |
1934 | All the King's Horses | Company |
1951 | Don Juan In Hell | Doña Ana. |
1954 | An Evening with Agnes Moorehead | Herself |
1957 | The Rivalry | Mrs. Stephen A. Douglas. Moorehead toured with the play but dropped out before its New York debut. |
1959 | The Pink Jungle | Eleanor West |
1962 | Prescription: Murder | Claire Fleming |
1962 | Lord Prego | Miss Swanson |
1963 | High Spirits | Madame Acanti |
1973 | Gigi | Aunt Alicia |
Radio
Year | Program | Role |
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1929–1930 | Believe It or Not | Ensemble |
1930–1933 | Sherlock Holmes | Ensemble |
1931 | The Ben Bernie Show | Ensemble |
1932–1933 | Mysteries In Paris | Nana |
1933–1934 | Evenings In Paris | Anna |
1933–1936 | The Armour Hour | Ensemble |
1934 | The Gumps | Min |
1934–1935 | Heartthrobs of the Hills | Ensemble |
1935–1937 | Dot and Will | Rose |
1935–1936 | The New Penny | |
1936 | Way Down East | |
1936–1938 | The March of Time | Ensemble / Eleanor Roosevelt. |
1937 | Terry and the Pirates | The Dragon Lady |
1937–1939 | The Shadow | Margo Lane |
1938 | The Mercury Theatre on the Air | Ensemble |
1938 | The Campbell Playhouse | Ensemble |
1938–1941 | Cavalcade of America | Ensemble |
1939–1940 | Brenda Curtis | Brenda's mother |
1939–1940 | The Aldrich Family | Mrs. Brown |
1940 | The Adventures of Superman | Lara |
1941–1942 | Bringing Up Father | Maggie |
1941–1942 | Bulldog Drummond | Ensemble |
1942–1949 | Mayor of the Town | Marilly |
1942–1960 | Suspense | Mrs. Elbert Stevenson |
1974 | CBS Radio Mystery Theater | Ada Canby, Lorna Kitteridge |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
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1942 | Academy Award | Best Supporting Actress | The Magnificent Ambersons | Nominated |
New York Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Won | ||
1944 | Academy Award | Best Supporting Actress | Mrs. Parkington | Nominated |
Golden Globe Award | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Won | ||
1948 | Academy Award | Best Supporting Actress | Johnny Belinda | Nominated |
1964 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte | Nominated |
Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actress | Won | ||
1966 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Bewitched | Nominated |
1967 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
1968 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
1969 | Nominated | |||
1970 | Nominated | |||
1971 | Nominated | |||
1967 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | The Wild Wild West | Won |
See Also
In Spanish: Agnes Moorehead para niños