7 Actresses Who Have Played Glinda the Good Witch (Including Ariana Grande’s Starring Role in “Wicked)”

From Broadway hits to Muppet-led adaptations, Glinda the Good Witch has had many faces

What do Billie Burke, Ariana Grande and Kristin Chenoweth have in common? They’ve all waved Glinda the Good Witch’s sparkly wand.

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

While dozens of TV series, books and live performances have retold the story of Dorothy and her dog being picked up by a wild, universe-bending tornado that plops them into the magical Land of Oz, none have matched Burke’s level of popularity closer than the musical Wicked.

Originally adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the Broadway show is an Oz prequel that details how Elphaba (originally played by Idina Menzel) became the Wicked Witch of the West. Chenoweth starred as Glinda in the original 2003 production that went on to win three Tony awards and a Grammy.

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 and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, was announced in 2021. Part 1 of Wicked opens 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 notable Oz adaptations — and the actresses who played Glinda in them.

Billy Burke in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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’s The Wizard of Oz was 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 to The Atlantic, Burke considered Glinda to be her favorite role she played.

Lena Horne in The Wiz (1978)

Lena Horne portrayed Glinda in the 1978 film adaptation of the 1974 Broadway musical The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the film performed poorly during its initial release despite having a star-studded cast featuring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as 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 in Wicked (2003)

Kristin Chenoweth played Glinda in the original Broadway musical adaptation Wicked.

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, Wicked took home multiple awards, including three Tonys, six Drama Desk awards and a Grammy.

Chenoweth told PEOPLE in October 2024 that Grande called her crying when 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 in The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005)

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

It stars Ashanti as Dorothy, Jeffrey Tambor as the Wizard, David Alan Grier as Uncle Henry and Queen Latifah as Auntie Em, plus everyone’s favorite Muppets.

The TV movie follows almost the same storyline as the original Wizard of Oz, except for one caveat: Dorothy wants the Wizard to help make her a superstar.

Michelle Williams in Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

Michelle Williams played Glinda in this fantasy prequel to the original Wizard of Oz.

In it, James Franco portrays 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 told Collider in 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 original Wizard 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 in The Wiz Live! (2015)

Uzo Aduba portrayed 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 featuring Common, Amber Riley, Mary J. Blige and NE-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 in Wicked (2024)

Ariana Grande plays Glinda in the upcoming 2024 film adaptation of the musical Wicked — a role she’s wanted for a long time.

During a June 2024 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the host dug up a 2011 post Grande 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 stars Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and Bridgerton’s Jonathan 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.