Elizabeth Montgomery Biography: The Life and Legacy of the Bewitched Star
Discover the life and career of Elizabeth Montgomery, the iconic star of Bewitched, and her lasting impact on classic television and Hollywood history.
Elizabeth Montgomery was born on April 15, 1933, and began acting on television in the 1950s. Her first appearance was on her father’s show, Robert Montgomery Presents. She was the daughter of actor Robert Montgomery and actress Elizabeth Allen. Elizabeth and her younger brother, affectionately nicknamed Skip (Robert Montgomery Jr., born in 1936), had a privileged childhood, growing up rich and famous as children of Hollywood actors.
She was a lively and beautiful young woman, while her brother was energetic and strong. Elizabeth had three children: Robert, William, and Rebecca. During the filming of the hit TV series Bewitched, her pregnancies led to the creation of the characters Tabitha and Adam. Together, these characters supported the story of Samantha Stephens, a witch who marries a mortal man. Bewitched aired for eight seasons on the ABC network and earned numerous Emmy nominations and other awards. The magic of Bewitched ended in 1972.
At age 22, Elizabeth starred in her first film, The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955). She married Frederick Gallatin Gamman in 1954, actor Gig Young in 1957, and William Asher in 1963. Later, Elizabeth and Asher worked together on the film Johnny Cool and developed the TV show Bewitched, with Asher as producer and Elizabeth as the star.
Bewitched became a massive success, running for eight years and continuing to be broadcast worldwide. The role of Samantha Stephens became so iconic that Elizabeth struggled to escape her association with the character, a good witch with magical powers who often complicated her marriage to a mortal. Besides Samantha, Elizabeth also played Serena, Samantha’s quirky cousin who occasionally appeared wielding a guitar.
After Bewitched ended, Elizabeth starred in several dramatic films, including A Case of Rape (1974), The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975), Act of Violence (1979), and Amos (1985). Many of her later roles were intense dramas, such as portraying a woman raped twice (A Case of Rape), which earned her an Emmy nomination for Best Actress, and the infamous Lizzie Borden, accused of murdering her family with an axe, which also brought her another Emmy nomination.
Elizabeth Montgomery passed away in 1995 from colorectal cancer at home at 8:27 a.m. She was married four times and had three children: Robert, Bill, and Rebecca. Reports indicate that she ignored early symptoms of the illness, which allowed the disease to progress too far for effective treatment. She was cremated.
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