Edith Holm (Sondergaard) Biberman

Edith grew up in Litchfield as the star of many neighborhood plays staged in the Sondergaard family barn. In time her star took her to national fame and she was awarded an Oscar for the Best Supporting Actress in 1936, the first year that this category was designated by the Oscar Committee. Mervyn LE Roy’s first choice to play the Wicked Witch was Gale Sondergaard. MGM was trying to ride on the coattails of the Disney’s successful “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, and he envisioned a glamorous witch clothed in a tight, black, sequined dress with a sequined hat. On August 20, 1938, MGM announced Sondergaard would be cast as the Wicked Witch. But when others involved in the film vetoed the idea of a glamorous witch, it was decided that Gale was too beautiful to be an ugly witch. Two children: Daniel Hans Biberman and Mrs. Joan Campos.