Actress Margaret Hamilton gave us one of the most enduring villains of all time as the Wicked Witch of the West (while also pulling double-duty as the not-quite-as-evil Almira Gulch). Hamilton was perfect as the evil witch who threatens Dorothy, and her little dog, too, to get her ruby slippers. Unfortunately, Hamilton's transformation into the iconic character came with a surprising risk.
According to Jack Young (via news.com.au) who did the makeup for Hamilton, "green is toxic because it's made with copper. Every night when I was taking off the Witch's makeup, I would make sure that her face was thoroughly clean. Spotlessly clean. Because you don't take chances with green." Luckily, it seemed that Hamilton was still proud of her work in "The Wizard of Oz," as she would appear on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" decades later and even demonstrated putting on her costume as the Wicked Witch of the West (though without the dangerous makeup, of course).
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