Valerie Lee, who had an uncredited role as one of the child Munchkins in “The Wizard of Oz” and appeared in Our Gang comedy shorts, died Sunday. She was 94.
Lee died in the Reseda neighborhood of Los Angeles, Stephen Cox, author of the 1996 book “The Munchkins of Oz,” announced, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Born Valerie Shepard in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 1931, Lee was one of a dozen children hired to play Munchkin villagers in the 1939 classic film.
She celebrated her seventh birthday during filming on the MGM lot in 1938.
Valerie Lee, One of the Young Munchkins in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ Dies at 94 https://t.co/QN93wj78Kt
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 13, 2026
Lee later appeared in the two-reel “Our Gang” comedy shorts, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Afterward, she showed up in such Our Gang comedy shorts as “Time Out for Lessons” (1939), “Ye Olde Minstrels” (1941), “Doin’ Their Bit” (1942), “Benjamin Franklin, Jr.” (1943), “Election Daze” (1943) and “Dancing Romeo” (1944), according to IMDb.com. She was also uncredited in several of those shorts, according to the movie-television database.
After her acting career, Lee attended Los Angeles City College and spent more than 25 years working for and managing the bookstore at Cal State Northridge, according to The Hollywood Reporter. and appeared in the 2024 television documentary “Mysteries of Oz: 85 Questions Answered.”
Lee did receive a credit for appearing in the documentary.
She was married to Robert Haynes from 1949 until his death in 2002, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They had three children together -- Elise, Sharon and Larry, who survive her.
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