Wednesday Addams Through the Years: 9 Actresses Who Have Played the Iconic Character

Wednesday Addams Through the Years: 9 Actresses Who Have Played the Iconic Character

Jenna Ortega may be the modern face of Wednesday Addams, but she’s not the only actress who has brought the infamously iconic character to life.

Ortega ushered the morbidly pale and macabre girl to the screen in the Netflix series Wednesday, which enjoyed its second season premiere Wednesday, though several actresses have succumbed to the iconic pigtails and gruesome disposition of the Addams daughter since its first screen imagining in the 1960s.

The character was created by American cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, appearing as an unnamed member of the Addams Family in The New Yorker cartoons. In 1944, the character that is now called Wednesday Addams appeared in those cartoons, finally named.

As the only daughter of Gomez and Morticia Addams and sister of Pugsley Addams, Wednesday is portrayed as a morbid, withdrawn yet brilliant young girl who is marked by a pale complexion, long black braids and a black and white collared dress. When she’s not obsessing over death or torturing her younger brother, Wednesday is cast away from the outside world, ostracized for her bitter nature by her peers.

Most recently, Wednesday can be seen in the Netflix adaptation Wednesday, which first premiered on the streaming platform in 2022 with much success.

To celebrate the arrival of Wednesday season two, here’s a look at all nine actresses who’ve worn the black stockings and plaits onscreen across film and TV.

The first-ever Wednesday brought to the screen was played by Lisa Loring in the live-action sitcom The Addams Family. The original series ran from 1964 to 1966, where Loring played a tamer and sweeter — relatively speaking — version of the Wednesday that so many are familiar with. Loring reprised her role as a grown-up Wednesday in the television film Halloween with the New Addams Family in 1977.

Cindy Henderson was the first to voice the character of Wednesday in the 1972 animated series The New Scooby-Doo Movies, in the episode entitled “Wednesday is Missing.” The Hanna-Barbera for CBS produced show was the second television series in the Scooby-Doo franchise, and each episode featured real-world celebrities or well-known animated characters, like those of the Addams family. Henderson also voiced Wednesday when Hanna-Barbera gave The Addams Family an animated sitcom of its own in 1973. Notably, Jodie Foster voiced Pugsley Addams for the cartoon.

The Addams Family Fun House was an unsold musical variety television show that never launched past the pilot due to a lack of funding. In 1973, Noelle Von Sonn brought Wednesday to (a short) life in the pilot episode produced by ABC.

Christina Ricci made Wednesday the iconic character she is today. The Addams Family (1991) was the first major live-action feature that canonized the family members in pop culture. While it was family-targeted, the movie leaned into their macabre interests and black comedy tone. Ricci reprised the role in the 1993 sequel Addams Family Values and even has a role in the current Wednesdayseries, this time playing Marilyn Thornhill, aka Laurel Gates. Ricci’s Wednesday was a launching pad for her career, as she went on to star in projects like Buffalo ’66, Sleepy Hollow and, most recently, the critically acclaimed series Yellowjackets.

Riding on the tail of the success of The Addams Family film in 1991, the characters were once again adapted for an animated television series The Addams Family that ran from 1992 to 1993. Distinguished voice-actress Debi Derryberry voiced Wednesday, and the character experienced some changes, most notably being her classic black dress was now blue. The series wasn’t as dark as the movie, but Derryberry’s Wednesday was more similar to the original comics.

Nicole Fugere played Wednesday Addams in the 1998 made-for-TV film Addams Family Reunion, which was poorly received for all but Tim Curry’s performance as Gomez Addams. The film was the pilot for the attempted reboot of the 1991 film into a live-action sitcom series. The New Addams Family (1998-1999), with Fugere playing Wednesday once again, lasted one season for a total of 65 episodes. Soon after the series, Fugere left the industry.

The latest animated adaptation of the spooky family took place in 2019 with The Addams Family, followed by The Addams Family 2 in 2021. Chloë Grace Moretz voiced Wednesday in both MGM CGI-animated films, alongside Oscar Isaac as Gomez and Charlize Theron as Morticia. Both films were received positively, putting the franchise back on the map.

Born in 2012, Karina Varadi had her first acting role as a young Wednesday in the Netflix series. She materializes in Wednesday’s memories and, alongside Ortega, has made Wednesday the black-hearted yet lovable character she is.

As the most recent and fan-favorite Wednesday, Jenna Ortega is the first actress in this role to get a series of her own. The 2022 Netflix series Wednesday follows the beloved character as a high schooler at Nevermore Academy. The teenager is an identifiable Tim Burton personality, injected with plenty of satire and goth. Burton, who serves as executive producer of the show, directed several episodes of the first season. The show, which was a success for Netflix, led Ortega’s career to take-off. She has since become a familiar face in the horror genre. Ortega returned to the role once more for the second season.

The first half of season two of Wednesday premiered on Aug. 6, exclusively on Netflix. The last four episodes will drop on Sept. 3.