
Billie Burke
Actor · Died May 14, 1970, aged 85 · Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress. She is primarily known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the musical film The Wizard of Oz. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Emily Kilbourne in Merrily We Live. Description above from the Wikipedia article Billie Burke, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 7, 1884
- May 14, 1970 (aged 85)
- Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- Actor
- 42 on MovieCove · 87 credits in all
What are Billie Burke's films like?
Across their 41 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 3 · Earnest 34
Light 31 · Serious 5 · Dark 5
A split, not a type: Grounded 24 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 3
A split, not a type: Gentle 22 · Charged 15 · Intense 4
Steady 23 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 2
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 19
A split, not a type: Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 4
Casual 32 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 31 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 3
Resolved 39 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 4 of 15 analyzed roles.
Show the 15 rolesHide the roles
- Threshold guardianas Margaret in A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
- Heroas Millicent Jordan in Dinner at Eight (1933)
- Threshold guardianas Mrs. Crane in Society Doctor (1935)
- Shadowas Clara Topper in Topper (1937)
- Tricksteras Mrs. Kilbourne in Merrily We Live (1938)
- Tricksteras Marmy Carleton in The Young in Heart (1938)
- Mentoras Glinda in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- Allyas Mrs. Tibbett in Zenobia (1939)
- Allyas Mrs. Lattimer in And One Was Beautiful (1940)
- Shapeshifteras Penny Merriweather in Hullabaloo (1940)
- Allyas Bernice Marshall in The Wild Man of Borneo (1941)
- Tricksteras Mrs. Rowland in Girl Trouble (1942)
- Mentoras Liza Prescott in Hi Diddle Diddle (1943)
- Threshold guardianas Aunt Minerva in So's Your Uncle (1943)
- Allyas Molly Burns in The Bachelor's Daughters (1946)
Moods and endings
- Happy31
- Bittersweet7
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Billie Burke's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 42 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).
- The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) · actor · free
- Merrily We Live (1938) · actor · free
- The Young in Heart (1938) · actor · free
- Topper (1937) · actor · free
- Topper Returns (1941) · actor · free
- Hi Diddle Diddle (1943) · actor · free
- Father's Little Dividend (1951) · actor · free
- Becky Sharp (1935) · actor · free
- Breakfast in Hollywood (1946) · actor · free
- Eternally Yours (1939) · actor · free
- Three Husbands (1950) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Billie Burke's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
87 credits, 42 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

The Dark Side of the Rainbow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Pepe(1960)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Sergeant Rutledge(1960)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Young Philadelphians(1959)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
77 Sunset Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

The Star Wagon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

Matinee Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

Small Town Girl(1953)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all filmsDoc Corkle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

Father's Little Dividend(1951)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Three Husbands(1950)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Father of the Bride(1950)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
The Boy From Indiana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

And Baby Makes Three (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

Lights Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

The Barkleys of Broadway(1949)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all filmsBillie Gets Her Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

The Bachelor's Daughters(1946)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Breakfast in Hollywood(1946)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
The Cheaters(1945)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Swing Out, Sister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

Gildersleeve on Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

So's Your Uncle(1943)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Hi Diddle Diddle(1943)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Girl Trouble(1942)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
In This Our Life(1942)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
What's Cookin'? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
One Night In Lisbon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

Topper Returns(1941)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
The Wild Man of Borneo(1941)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Hullabaloo(1940)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Dulcy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

The Captain is a Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

Irene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

And One Was Beautiful(1940)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Ghost Comes Home(1940)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Remember? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

Eternally Yours(1939)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
The Wizard of Oz(1939)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Bridal Suite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

Zenobia(1939)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Topper Takes a Trip(1938)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Young in Heart(1938)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Merrily We Live(1938)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Everybody Sing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

Navy Blue and Gold(1937)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Bride Wore Red(1937)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Topper(1937)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Parnell(1937)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Craig's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

Piccadilly Jim(1936)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
My American Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

Splendor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

A Feather in Her Hat(1935)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
She Couldn't Take It(1935)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Doubting Thomas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

Becky Sharp(1935)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
After Office Hours (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

Society Doctor(1935)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Forsaking All Others(1934)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
We're Rich Again(1934)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Where Sinners Meet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

Finishing School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

Dinner at Eight(1933)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Only Yesterday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

Christopher Strong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

A Bill of Divorcement(1932)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all filmsThe Education of Elizabeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

The Frisky Mrs. Johnson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)
Away Goes Prudence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

Wanted: A Husband (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
Sadie Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

The Misleading Widow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
Good Gracious, Annabelle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

The Make-Believe Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

In Pursuit of Polly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

Let's Get a Divorce (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

Eve's Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

The Land of Promise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

Arms and the Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
The Mysterious Miss Terry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

Gloria's Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

Peggy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)
Career shape
Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 87 titles from 1916 to 2000; peak year 1960.
Film career
Peak 1960 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1932Screen debut· A Bill of Divorcement
- 1939Career best· The Wizard of Oz
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Billie Burke's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 42; across their 41 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up12
- 50th to 74th17
- 25th to 49th11
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
23 of their 42 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser23
- Broadly Agreed6
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 40 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Billie Burke's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Billie Burke work with?
People who share at least 2 of Billie Burke's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Donald Meek shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Norman Z. McLeodShared titles: Merrily We Live (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 3 shared titles with Norman Z. McLeod

- Vincente MinnelliShared titles: Father's Little Dividend (1951), Father of the Bride (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Vincente Minnelli

- Andrew L. StoneShared titles: The Bachelor's Daughters (1946), Hi Diddle Diddle (1943)See all 2 shared titles with Andrew L. Stone

- Harold D. SchusterShared titles: Breakfast in Hollywood (1946), Girl Trouble (1942)See all 2 shared titles with Harold D. Schuster
Writers
- Herman J. MankiewiczShared titles: The Wild Man of Borneo (1941), The Ghost Comes Home (1940), Dinner at Eight (1933)See all 3 shared titles with Herman J. Mankiewicz

- Thorne SmithShared titles: Topper Returns (1941), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 3 shared titles with Thorne Smith
- Eddie MoranShared titles: Merrily We Live (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 3 shared titles with Eddie Moran
- Jack JevneShared titles: Merrily We Live (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 3 shared titles with Jack Jevne
Actors
- Donald MeekShared titles: The Wild Man of Borneo (1941), Hullabaloo (1940), The Ghost Comes Home (1940), Parnell (1937), She Couldn't Take It (1935), Society Doctor (1935)See all 6 shared titles with Donald Meek

- Roland YoungShared titles: They All Kissed the Bride (1942), Topper Returns (1941), The Young in Heart (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 5 shared titles with Roland Young

- Frank MorganShared titles: The Wild Man of Borneo (1941), Hullabaloo (1940), The Ghost Comes Home (1940), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Piccadilly Jim (1936)See all 5 shared titles with Frank Morgan

- Alan MowbrayShared titles: Merrily We Live (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937), Becky Sharp (1935), She Couldn't Take It (1935)See all 5 shared titles with Alan Mowbray

Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Norbert BrodineShared titles: Topper Returns (1941), Merrily We Live (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 4 shared titles with Norbert Brodine

- William H. TerhuneShared titles: The Ghost Comes Home (1940), Merrily We Live (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 4 shared titles with William H. Terhune
- William AxtShared titles: Parnell (1937), Piccadilly Jim (1936), Forsaking All Others (1934), Dinner at Eight (1933)See all 4 shared titles with William Axt
- George J. FolseyShared titles: Parnell (1937), The Bride Wore Red (1937), Forsaking All Others (1934)See all 3 shared titles with George J. Folsey

Producers
- Hal RoachShared titles: Topper Returns (1941), Merrily We Live (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 4 shared titles with Hal Roach

- David O. SelznickShared titles: The Young in Heart (1938), Dinner at Eight (1933), A Bill of Divorcement (1932)See all 3 shared titles with David O. Selznick

- Milton H. BrenShared titles: Merrily We Live (1938), Topper Takes a Trip (1938), Topper (1937)See all 3 shared titles with Milton H. Bren
- Pandro S. BermanShared titles: Father's Little Dividend (1951), We're Rich Again (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Pandro S. Berman

Mixed roles
- Gordon DouglasShared titles: Topper Returns (1941), Zenobia (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Gordon Douglas





