- Born
- Died
- Birth nameClara Blanchard Dickey
- Height5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
- Clara Blandick was an American actress born as Clara Dickey and born aboard an American ship off the coast of Hong Kong on June 4, 1880. Little is known about her early life until she became an actress. She grew up in Boston and first acted on stage in E.H. Sothern's 'Richard Lovelace'. Although she appeared in 118 films, she was primarily a stage actress. She began her film career at a late age. She was 33 when she was picked for the role as Emily Mason in Mrs. Black Is Back (1914). Her next film was The Stolen Triumph (1916), after which she returned to the stage, where she seemed more comfortable. She did not make another film until the age of 48, when she appeared in Poor Aubrey (1930).
She had only three films under her belt by this time but would appear in more than 100 over the next 20 years. She made nine films in 1930, and thirteen the following year. The role that was to immortalize her, however, was "Auntie Em" in The Wizard of Oz (1939). She continued in films until 1950, when she appeared on the screen for the final time in Key to the City (1950).
By this time Blandick had been suffering from poor health for years, especially painful arthritis and failing eyesight, and retired from the screen. On Palm Sunday, April 15, 1962, aged 85, she went to church in Hollywood. When she returned she wrote a note stating she was about to take the greatest adventure of her life. She took an overdose of sleeping tablets and pulled a plastic bag over her head, thus ending her life.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Denny Jackson
- SpouseHarry Staunton Elliott(December 7, 1905 - 1912) (divorced)
- ParentsIsaac B DickeyHattie Dickey
- Suffering from severe arthritis and impending blindness, Blandick fixed her hair, dressed up in her best outfit, placed her favorite photos and memorabilia around her room and took her own life by taking an overdose of sleeping tablets and putting a plastic bag over her head for good measure. Her suicide note read: "I am now about to make the great adventure. I cannot endure this agonizing pain any longer. It is all over my body. Neither can I face the impending blindness. I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.".
- Played different roles in different screen versions of "Huckleberry Finn". In the 1931 version, she played Tom Sawyer's Aunt Polly, a carryover from the 1930 film of "Tom Sawyer", in which she played the same role. In 1939 she played the role of Miss Watson in the Mickey Rooney film "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".
- Best remembered for her portrayal of Dorothy's Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
- Had no children.
- Interred at Forest Lawn (Glendale), Glendale, California, USA, in the Great Mausoleum.
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