Although her role as the Wicked Witch defined her, she already had a good career in film having been in movies such as: "You Only Live Once," "Nothing Sacred," "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," and "My Little Chickadee," with W.C. Fields. She never tied herself to one movie studio and was paid a flat rate of what would be in today's dollars $15,000 a week.
She was married once and got a divorce in 1938. They had one son. What I find so amazing about Hamilton is that she wasn't a Hollywood beauty but found her own niche as a New England Spinster. Her tough image on film just goes to show how great an actress she was because those who knew her saw her as a kind, grade school teacher.