Hester Holm Sondergaard DeLacy

Ragni was a talented pianist and singer. She acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota School of Music in 1919. She married a teacher in Detroit and they had one son.

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.

Taking after her father, Hester played the violin. After graduating from high school she moved to New York to perform with a company that included such notables as Francis Bavier and Lee J. Kobb, and John Carradine. Hester performed mainly in theater and radio. Her life in movies is limited to three films, Seeds of Freedom (1943), The Naked City (1948), and Jigsaw (1949). She spent the late 1930's working in several theaters including the Civic Repertory Theatre in New York City. In 1947, she performed in a radio show called Studio One. The group performed well known books in an hour's time. She married former House Member Emerson Hugh Delacy (1910-1986) in the 1940's and the marriage ended in divorce. It is not known whether or not they had any children. Hester is the younger sister of the recipient of the first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Gale Sondergaard. After her acting career, she went on to become a speech pathologist in New York City. Passing away on February 26, 1994 in Torrance, California, Hester was cremated and her ashes were scattered in the ocean near Santa Monica, California.