Elizabeth Montgomery

In 1954, Elizabeth Montgomery married New York socialite Frederick Cammann. The couple divorced in less than a year.

Later she married Gig Young, an Academy Award-winning actor, in 1956. However, once again, her marriage ended in a divorce in 1963.

She then married director William Asher in 1963. They had three children, William Asher Jr., Robert Asher, and Rebecca Asher.

Elizabeth Montgomery was born in Los Angeles, California, in the United States on 15 April 1933. Both her parents, Robert Montgomery and Elizabeth Daniel Bryan Montgomery, were successful film stars. Montgomery had a younger brother Robert Montgomery Jr., and an elder sister, Martha Bryan Montgomery, who died as an infant.

Her great grandfather, an Irishman, whose name was Archibald Montgomery, had immigrated to the US in 1849. She was of both Irish and Scottish descent.

During her early years, she attended the Westland School for Girls. Later, she graduated from Spence School in New York City, after which she went to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In 1951, Elizabeth Montgomery made her TV debut in her father’s show ‘Robert Montgomery Presents.’ Her first show on theatre was ‘Late Love’ in 1953, which for her brilliant performance won her a Theater World Award.

Her film debut was in 1955 with the film ‘The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell’ which was directed by Otto Preminger. The film, which starred actors such as Gary Cooper, Charles Bickford, and Ralph Bellamy, was based on a notorious court martial of General Billy Mitchell who outraged his superiors by disobeying orders.

She rose to popularity after her appearance in the popular TV show ‘Bewitched’. The show was a huge success and aired for eight years (1964-1972). Her character Samantha Stephens can also be regarded as one of the most popular characters played by Montgomery during her entire career. The role earned her several award nominations.

After her success in ‘Bewitched’, she continued to do roles in television and appeared in several TV movies, such as ‘A Case of Rape’ (1974), ‘A Killing Affair’, (1977), ‘Art of Violence’ (1979), ‘The Rules of Marriage’ (1982), and ’Black Widow Murders’ (1993). She was nominated for several awards for her performances.

She also made several guest appearances in shows such as ‘Frontier Circus’ (1961), ‘Checkmate’ (1962), and ‘77 Sunset Strip’ (1963). Her last work on TV was as a voice actress in an episode of ‘Batman: The Animated Series’. The episode aired after her death, becoming the final work of Montgomery to be screened.

The American television series ‘Bewitched’ can be regarded as the most significant work of Elizabeth Montgomery’s career. The series was broadcast for eight seasons on ABC network (1964-1972). The show, which was created by Sol Saks, with Harry Ackerman, as the executive director, starred Elizabeth in the leading role, and other actors such as Dick York, Agnes Moorehead, David White, and Dick Sargent in supporting ones.

The story focused on the marriage between a witch and an ordinary mortal human being, and how the witch adjusts with her new life. The show earned much popularity and appreciation, becoming the second most popular show in the US during its eighth season. It was ranked at 50th position on ‘TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time’ in 2002.

'The Legend of Lizzie Borden', a 1975 American mystery drama was a popular TV movie that she worked in. The show premiered on 10 February on ABC Network, starring Elizabeth in the lead role. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture Made for Television in the 1976 Golden Globe Awards. For her performance, Montgomery also received a nomination for ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy.

‘Second Sight: A Love Story,’ a 1984 film which was based on the book ‘Emma and I’ by Sheila Hocken, starred Montgomery in the main role. Other actors in the film included Barry Newman, Nicholas Pryor, Mitzi Hoag, and Michael Horton.

'The Panama Deception' an American documentary film, where Montgomery lent her voice as a narrator was another one of her significant works. The film, which was directed by Barbara Trent and written by David Kasper won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film criticizes the actions of the US Military during the 1989 Panama invasion by US. It highlighted the bias of the American media as well, and shows how many events like civilian casualties were misreported.