Agnes Moorehead

Agnes Moorehead (1900–1974) was an American actress whose career spanned radio, film, stage, and television. She played Fanny Minafer in The Magnificent Ambersons and Endora in Bewitched.

The Magnificent Ambersons: Orson Welles’s 1942 film about the decline of a wealthy Midwestern family during social change. Moorehead’s performance as Fanny Minafer earned her an Academy Award nomination.
Orson Welles: An American actor, director, and producer known for Citizen Kane and innovative work in theater and radio. Welles cast Moorehead in the Mercury Theatre and gave her major film roles.
University of Wisconsin–Madison: A public research university in Madison, Wisconsin, founded in 1848. Moorehead studied there and earned a degree before pursuing acting.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: An annual Academy Award recognizing a performance in a supporting role in a motion picture. Moorehead received four nominations in this category, but never won.
Typecasting: The repeated assignment of actors to similar roles based on their established image or perceived traits. Endora became so closely associated with Moorehead that it could overshadow her varied dramatic work.
Bewitched: An American television sitcom about a witch married to a mortal man. Moorehead played Endora, Samantha’s sharp-tongued mother, throughout the series.
Elizabeth Montgomery: An American actress best known for playing Samantha Stephens in Bewitched. Montgomery’s central performance made Moorehead’s Endora a defining foil and family presence.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts: A New York City conservatory for professional actors, founded in 1884. Moorehead received formal acting training at the academy.
Primetime Emmy Award: An American award recognizing achievement in television programming and performance. Moorehead won an Emmy for her performance in the 1967 television film The Wild Wild West Revisited?.
Character actor: An actor known for distinctive supporting roles rather than sustained leads. Moorehead’s career ranged across sharply different supporting characters and leading stage roles.

Linked from 2 pages

John HousemanRelated: Moorehead performed with the Mercury Theatre, including in its famous radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds.