“The Wizard of Oz” actress Elaine Merk Binder has died at age 94.
Her daughter, Annette Phillips, confirmed the news of Binder’s passing.
Binder was one of the last surviving Munchkin performers from the 1939 classic. She auditioned for the musical in 1938 and was one of the eight children selected to dance and sing as part of the Munchkin ensembles.
She previously recalled how “scary” the process was, saying in an interview, “I tried out for the ‘Wizard of Oz’ Munchkins. For me it was scary. It was my first big call for girls from a major studio.
“I was relieved when Bud told the dance director, ‘She’s O.K.’ I did not have to perform like the others did. And they selected me as one of the eight who would both dance and sing. We learned later that they had added girls to the Little People because they had the mistaken impression that the Little People were not athletic.”
Binder was just eight years old when she filmed “The Wizard of Oz” and can be seen in a scene that features the song Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are.
Before “The Wizard of Oz,” she performed in the “Our Gang” shorts and she also appeared in the film “Nothing Sacred” with Carole Lombard and Frederic March.
Paramount offered Binder a contract as a teenager, but she declined in order to study at Occidental College. After graduating in 1951, she completed her master’s degree at Cal State Los Angeles two years later with qualifications in music and education.
She then went on to study computer science and theology and worked as a computer consultant for USA and First Interstate Bank.
As well as Annette, Binder is survived by son George and six grandchildren.