Elizabeth Montgomery’s voice cannot be heard without picking up the minute glimmer that came before her character’s nose twitch in Bewitched.
The charming actress tragically went away suddenly in 1995. She gained popularity in the 1960s and became well-known all over the world.
Unlike other actors and actresses in films and television shows, Elizabeth didn’t need hair and makeup professionals. She was such a natural beauty, and I loved watching her in Bewitched.
What happened to Elizabeth Montgomery after she portrayed Samantha Stephens in the 1960s sitcom?
Let’s have a look at the exceptional actress’s career in film and television prior to her tragic passing in 1995. In 2023, she would have turned 90.
Elizabeth Montgomery was born in Los Angeles on April 15, 1933, to a Broadway performer and a movie actress; acting was in her blood since she was a young child.
“Dad says that after supper I would frequently jump onto his lap and say, ‘I’m going to be an actor when I grew up.’ In a 1954 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Elizabeth remarked, “I don’t know if he supported me or not, but he told me he would humor me and would tell me to wait and see what occurred when I grew up.
Robert Montgomery, her father, was a well-known and renowned actor.
“I’ll be up forward and admit that my dad did help me gain a break in TV, and I’m incredibly appreciative of his support and advice. He is my harshest critic, yet he is also a true friend and a devoted father.
Elizabeth went to school in California before moving to New York City. She went to the Spence School there. After graduating, she studied for three years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
While still a teenager, she made her television debut on her father’s show, Robert Montgomery Presents. She continued to make frequent appearances on his show.
In the play Late Love, Elizabeth made her Broadway debut in 1953 as the title character. Two years later, in 1955, she made her film debut in The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, and two more years later, she returned to Broadway.
As her career progressed, Elizabeth fell in love, but it never lasted for very long.
In 1954, she married Frederick Gallatin Cammann, but the couple later divorced. She married the distinguished actor Gig Young in 1956; the union lasted until their divorce in 1963.
While they were filming Johnny Cool, Elizabeth came to know director and TV producer William Asher. In addition to helping her out at work, they chemistry romantically.
Following their 1963 wedding, they welcomed three children into their partnership.
Elizabeth Montgomery did make appearances as a cast member on shows including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Loretta Young Show, The Untouchables, and The Twilight Zone, but Bewitched is arguably where she is most known for playing the nose-twitching witch Samantha Stephens.
The eerie comedy, which aired for eight seasons from 1964 to 1972, helped Elizabeth become well-known.
As soon as Samantha gained notoriety, others began to imitate her distinctive nose twitch.
“I hadn’t given a series much attention since I like the idea of choosing a storyline and character that I thought I could carry for an hour. You only hope that the character you spend every day with in a series won’t drive you mad, Elizabeth told the Associated Press in 1965.
After Bewitched’s run and the end of her marriage to Asher, Elizabeth went on to star in a variety of made-for-television movies, many of which were a sharp contrast to her Bewitched part.
A Case of Rape (1974), Mrs. Sundance (1973), Black Widow Murders (1993), The Body Had a Familiar Face (1994), and Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan (1994) all featured her as Lizzie Borden. (1995).
While Mrs. Sundance was being filmed, she first ran into Robert Foxworth. The pair didn’t get married until 1993, but they remained partners until Elizabeth passed away in 1995.
“Before Jane Seymour, before Lindsay Wagner, and before Valerie Bertinelli, Elizabeth was the first Queen of the TV movies; she went from queen of the witches to queen of the TV movie and it was no longer a struggle to break away from Bewitched,” said Herbie J. Pilato, the author of two books on Elizabeth Montgomery.
Her career was tragically cut short when, after a protracted battle with colon cancer, she passed away on May 18, 1995.
Her family said she was 57 when she died away, according to the Los Angeles Times, despite the fact that many sources listed her birth year as 1933, putting her 62 at the time of her death.
The actress who had battled the illness for years and believed she was cancer-free became unwell while Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan was being filmed.
When she finally had the opportunity to be evaluated in March 1995, it was already too late. Her liver had developed a cancerous infection.
At her home in the Hollywood Hills, Elizabeth passed away quietly with her husband and three children by her side. One month after her passing, a memorial service was held at the Beverly Hills Canon Theatre. Famous jazz musician Herbie Hancock played while Dominick Dunne, Elizabeth’s novelist and a lifelong friend, spoke about their first encounter while they both lived in New York City.
The Bewitched actress was cremated in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
In a 1992 interview, Elizabeth discussed her career’s use of a multitude of personalities.
“They all have different ‘feels’ to them, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve done them. People often mention in their emails to me that one of the things they enjoy most about my work after “Bewitched” is that they never know what I’m going to do next.
Such a lovely lady by nature! Tragically, she was taken from us way too soon.
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