Ariana Grande’s Grandma Was 13 When The Wizard of Oz Released — 85 Years Later She Watched Her Granddaughter Play Glinda

Ariana Grande's Grandma Was 13 When The Wizard of Oz Released — 85 Years Later She Watched Her Granddaughter Play Glinda

Ariana Grande, her boyfriend Ethan Slater and Ariana’s family took her grandmother Marjorie, who turned 99 in October, to see ‘Wicked’ in theaters recently

 Ariana Grande, Marjorie Grande, Ariana Grande in Wicked
Ariana Grande’s grandmother Marjorie and Ariana in Wicked. Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Universal Pictures

When it comes to movies that take place in the land of Oz, Ariana Grande‘s grandmother Marjorie Grande has quite literally seen it all.

Ariana, who stars in Wicked as Glinda, the famous “good witch” first brought to the big screen in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, documented her trip to the movies with boyfriend Ethan Slater and her family — including Marjorie — with multiple photos and a video she shared to Instagram recently from Boca Raton, Florida, where she grew up. The video showed her grandmother smiling during Glinda’s standout number, “Popular,” as the family all held hands.

Marjorie, who turned 99 in October — Ariana’s brother Frankie shared a birthday tribute to her on Instagram Oct. 13 — was just 13 years old when The Wizard of Oz released in theaters in August 1939. That means the Grande family matriarch has lived through every screen portrayal of Glinda, culminating in her own granddaughter headlining Wicked alongside Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba.

 TV personality Frankie J. Grande, Marjorie 'Nonna' Grande, and recording artist Ariana Grande attend the 2015 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 22, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
Marjorie Grande and Ariana Grande on Nov. 22, 2015.Frazer Harrison/AMA2015/Getty

Billie Burke, who died at 85 in 1970, portrayed Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. Grande is one in a long line of actors to portray the iconic witch on the big or small screen, with more than a dozen adaptations of Frank L. Baum’s Oz novels made between The Wizard of Oz’s release and Wicked hitting theaters.

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Prior to Wicked‘s release, Michelle Williams was the last actress to portray Glinda in a movie with 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful. The character also appeared in a number of television series in the years before Wicked.

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Marjorie Grande and Ariana Grande on April 26, 2016.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Ariana shared a video on YouTube all the way back in 2012 revealing that Marjorie and her grandfather, Frank, first met when Marjorie was 11 years old. Ariana’s grandparents began dating as teenagers and eventually welcomed two daughters, including Ariana and Frankie’s mother Joan.

Marjorie recently appeared as a featured artist on Ariana’s album Eternal Sunshine on its final track “ordinary things.” The feature made Marjorie the oldest person ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 back in March.

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