7 Actresses Who Have Played Glinda the Good Witch (Including Ariana Grande’s Starring Role inWicked)

Mar. 15, 2025

What do Billie Burke,Ariana GrandeandKristin Chenowethhave in common? They’ve all waved Glinda the Good Witch’s sparkly wand.

According toThe Atlantic, the pink-clad sorceress made her on-screen debut in two silent film adaptations of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novelThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Still, Glinda started her reign over pop culture in 1939 thanks to actress Billie Burke’s portrayal inThe Wizard of Oz.

But that’s not the last audiences will see of Glinda’s goodness: A two-part film adaptation of the musical, starring Grande as Glinda andCynthia Erivoas Elphaba, was announced in 2021.Part 1 ofWickedopens in theaters on Nov. 22, and Part 2 will be released in 2025.

Burke, Chenoweth and Grande are not the only stars to take on this iconic role. Here’s everything to know about the most notableOzadaptations — and the actresses who played Glinda in them.

Billy Burke inThe Wizard of Oz(1939)

Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, Judy Garland as Dorothy, and Billie Burke as Glinda the Good Witch in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939).y Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock

y Mgm/Kobal/Shutterstock

Billy Burke played Glinda in this classic 1930s film that inspired dozens of future projects and included her iconic line, “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”

MGM’sThe Wizard of Ozwas adapted from Baum’s 1900 novel and follows the story of Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), who gets transported from her home in Kansas to a magical land called Oz via a tornado. There, Glinda instructs her and her pup, Toto, to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City so she can ask the Wizard of Oz to help her get home.

According toThe Atlantic, Burke considered Glinda to be her favorite role she played.

Lena Horne inThe Wiz(1978)

Lena Horne in a scene from the movie “The Wiz” in 1978 in New York, New York.Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

Lena Horneportrayed Glinda in the 1978 film adaptation of the 1974 Broadway musicalThe Wiz: The Super Soul Musical.

According to theLos Angeles Times, the film performed poorly during its initial release despite having a star-studded cast featuringDiana Rossas Dorothy andMichael Jacksonas Scarecrow.

The reimagined story is set in Harlem, where Dorothy is a sheltered schoolteacher caught in a snowstorm chasing her dog, Toto. Like the original tale, she’s transported to the Land of Oz, where she must search for the mysterious Wizard to help her get home.

Kristin Chenoweth inWicked(2003)

Kristin Chenoweth played Glinda in the original Broadway musical adaptationWicked.

Loosely based on the novel of the same name, this performance takes place before Dorothy arrives in Oz and tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two powerful witches — Glinda and Elphaba — and how fate drove them down two different paths.

After its debut in 2003,Wickedtook home multiple awards, including three Tonys, six Drama Desk awards and a Grammy.

Chenoweth told PEOPLE in October 2024 thatGrande called her cryingwhen she got the role of Glinda in the film adaptation.

“I told her, ‘You need to do your version of Glinda and I’m giving you permission,’ ” the Broadway star said. “And that’s the only way I’ve helped her … I let go of the reins.”

Miss Piggy inThe Muppets’ Wizard of Oz(2005)

Miss Piggy as Glinda the Good Witch in ‘The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz' (2005).Maximum Film / Alamy

Maximum Film / Alamy

Miss Piggy portrayed Glinda — as well as the Wicked Witch of the West — in the 2005 Disney filmThe Muppets’ Wizard of Oz.

It starsAshantias Dorothy,Jeffrey Tamboras the Wizard,David Alan Grieras Uncle Henry andQueen Latifahas Auntie Em, plus everyone’s favorite Muppets.

Michelle Williams inOz the Great and Powerful(2013)

Michelle Williams as Glinda the Good Witch in ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ (2013).Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock

Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock

Michelle Williamsplayed Glinda in this fantasy prequel to the originalWizard of Oz.

In it,James Francoportrays Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician who’s transported from Kansas to the Land of Oz — where residents expect a great and powerful wizard to take over as ruler. But the land’s three witches — Glinda, Theodora (Mila Kunis) and Evanora (Rachel Weisz) — aren’t convinced he’s fit for the role.

Williams toldColliderin 2013 that she tried not to reference Burke’s original Glinda “too heavily.”

“There’s little nods in a few costumes and a couple of lines,” she said. “But she’s really … a starting off point … When you meet Glinda in the originalWizard of Oz, she is omniscient, she has a kind of calm. But that’s where … we like to think that that’s where she wound up and this is kind of more where she began.”

Uzo Aduba inThe Wiz Live!(2015)

Shanice Williams as Dorothy and Uzo Aduba as Glinda the Good Witch in ‘The Wiz Live’ (2015).Virginia Sherwood /NBC /Everett Collection

Virginia Sherwood /NBC /Everett Collection

Uzo Adubaportrayed Glinda in the live-action NBC remake of the 1975 Broadway musical of the same name.

Like the first movie,The Wiz Live!also had a star-studded cast featuringCommon,Amber Riley,Mary J. BligeandNE-YO.

Grier and Latifah also returned to the Land of Oz, but instead of Uncle Henry and Auntie Em, they played the Cowardly Lion and the Wiz, respectively.

Ariana Grande inWicked(2024)

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Ariana Grandeplays Glinda in the upcoming 2024 film adaptation of the musicalWicked— a role she’s wanted for a long time.

During a June 2024 appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the hostdug up a 2011 postGrande shared that read, “Loved seeing Wicked again … amazing production! Made me realize again how badly I want 2 play Glinda at some point in my life! #DreamRole.”

Wicked, which also starsJeff Goldblum,Michelle YeohandBridgerton’sJonathan Bailey, will be slightly different from the musical and feature at least three new songs. Part 1 of the two-part film series will premiere on Nov. 22, with Part 2 debuting sometime in 2025.

source: people.com