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Margaret Pellegrini
Margaret Pellegrini.jpg
Pellegrini in 2006
Born
Margaret Williams

(1923-09-23)September 23, 1923
Died August 7, 2013(2013-08-07) (aged 89)
Occupation
  • Actress
  • vaudeville performer
  • dancer
Years active 1938–2013
Spouse(s) Willie Pellegrini
Children 2

Margaret Pellegrini (née Williams; September 23, 1923 – August 7, 2013) was an American actress, vaudeville performer and dancer, best known for playing one of the Munchkins from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Until her death in 2013, she was one of the three surviving munchkins, the other two being Jerry Maren and Ruth Robinson Duccini.

Biography

Pellegrini was born Margaret Williams in Tuscumbia, Alabama. When she was helping a relative in a potato chip booth at the Tennessee State Fair, a group of little people came by and asked if she wanted to join their show, Henry Kramer's Midgets. "At that time I didn't think I was a midget," says Pellegrini (who then stood about 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m)). In the film, Pellegrini played a "sleepyhead" flower pot and Munchkin villager. After the film, she married Willie Pellegrini (an average-sized ex-fighter) and had two children. Through the years, Pellegrini frequently appeared at surviving Munchkins of Oz festivities.

Munchkins Walk of fame

WIKI MUNCHKIN 1
From left: Jerry Maren (Lollipop Guild), Karl Slover, Clarence Swensen, and Pellegrini (1998)

Pellegrini was present on November 21, 2007, when the remaining Munchkins were given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was also named the Grand Marshal of this year's annual "Oz-Stravaganza" parade in Chittenango, New York, but health issues prevented her from attending. Near the time of her death, she was described as a widowed great-great-grandmother living in Glendale, Arizona, with a room in her house devoted to her treasured Oz collectibles.

Death

Pellegrini died on August 7, 2013, in Glendale, Arizona, due to complications from a stroke she had two days earlier. She outlived every major cast member of The Wizard of Oz. She was 89. Her burial is at Holy Cross Cemetery in Avondale, Arizona.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1939 The Wizard of Oz Munchkin Villager/Sleepyhead Uncredited
1971 Johnny Got His Gun
1990 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic Acknowledgement credit
1993 We're Off to See the Munchkins
1994 I Married a Munchkin Sleepyhead
1997 Biography Herself 1 episode
2001 Memories of Oz
2005 Entertainment Tonight 1 episode
Because of the Wonderful Things It Does: The Legacy of Oz
2009 The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond Herself/Munchkin Also special thanks credit
Hollywood Celebrates Its Biggest Little Stars! Herself
2013 The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Margaret Pellegrini para niños

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