Betty Ann Bruno, one of the last surviving munchkins from The Wizard of Oz, has died. She was 91.
Her husband, Craig Sheiner, confirmed her death in a Facebook post, writing: “I am so sorry to have to tell you Betty Ann’s heart left us today.”
“We were at the kanikapila in Sonoma and she had just finished dancing Pua Mana. She developed a sudden, splitting head ache and I drove her to Emergency. She made it to the from desk and collapsed on the floor with a massive heart attack.”
Although she was born in Wahiawa, Hawai’i, Bruno grew up in Hollywood, California.
Prior to her role as a Munchkin in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz, she had an uncredited role in John Ford’s 1937 film The Hurricane.
When she was seven, she was cast with a dozen other children of about average height opposite more than 100 adult little people to play the citizens of Munchkinland.
Bruno, who went on to become a successful political talk show producer and host before becoming an investigative reporter for KTVU, was one of a few surviving Munchkins from the 1939 classic.
In 2018 when Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin played by a little person, the media dubbed him the “last living Munchkin,” but Bruno spoke up, saying: “Wait a minute, I’m a munchkin and I’m still alive!”
“When we walked onto the set, I had the same reaction that Dorothy has in the movie,” Bruno said of her impression upon seeing the set for the first time.
“It was the Depression. There was no Disneyland then, so to walk out onto the set and see those bright colors was like being transported to heaven.”
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- Jerry Maren, last living ‘Wizard of Oz’ munchkin, dies aged 98
Rest in peace, Betty Ann.
