Ruth Donnelly
Ruth Donnelly | |
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File:Ruth Donnelly.jpg | |
Born | Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. | May 17, 1896
Died | November 17, 1982 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 86)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1913–1965 |
Spouse | Basil de Guichard (1932–1958; his death)[1] |
Parent(s) | Harry Augustus Donnelly Bessie B. Donnelly |
Ruth Donnelly (May 17, 1896 – November 17, 1982) was an American stage and film actress.
Early years
Born in Philadelphia, Donnelly was the daughter of Harry Augustus Donnelly and Bessie B. Donnelly.[2]
According to a 1915 article in The Day Book, the young Donnelly was forced to leave Sacred Heart Convent in New Jersey because she repeatedly broke into laughter at inappropriate times.[3]
Career
Donnelly began her stage career at the age of 17 in The Quaker Girl.[2] Actress Rose Stahl took the teen under her wing and, after giving her training and a year's experience in the chorus, placed the then 18-year-old in the play Maggie Pepper.[3] Her Broadway debut brought her to the attention of George M. Cohan, who proceeded to cast her in numerous comic-relief roles in such musicals as Going Up (1917).[4]
Though she made her first film appearance in 1913, her Hollywood career began in earnest in 1931 and lasted until 1957. In her films she often played the wife of Guy Kibbee (Footlight Parade, Wonder Bar, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). Among her roles was the part of Sister Michael in The Bells of St. Mary's, starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. Years after her final film role, she returned to the stage, understudying Patsy Kelly in the Broadway revival of No No Nanette with old co-star Ruby Keeler and later appearing in the touring production starring Don Ameche and Evelyn Keyes.
Her uncle, Frederick W. Donnelly, was the longtime mayor of Trenton, New Jersey.[1][5]
Personal life
Donnelly was married to Basil de Guichard.[6]
Death
Donnelly died at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City at age 86. She was survived by her sister.[6]
Complete filmography
- The Man Who Lost, But Won (1914, Short) as Rose Mason - The Minister's Wife
- The Skull (1914, Short)
- The Lady of the Island (1914, Short) as The Nurse
- When the Heart Calls (1914, Short)
- In All Things Moderation (1914, Short) as Winnie Graham - the Youngest Daughter
- The Tenth Commandment (1914, Short) as The Doctor's Wife
- Saved by a Song (1916, Short) as Elsie
- Rubber Heels (1927) as Fanny Pratt
- Transatlantic (1931) as Burbank (scenes deleted)
- The Spider (1931) as Mrs. Wimbledon
- Wicked (1931) as Fanny
- The Cheat (1931) as Woman in Court Behind Elsa (uncredited)
- The Rainbow Trail (1932) as Widow Abigail
- Make Me a Star (1932) as The Countess
- Jewel Robbery (1932) as Berta - Teri's Maid (uncredited)
- Blessed Event (1932) as Miss Stevens
- Employees' Entrance (1933) as Miss Hall
- Hard to Handle (1933) as Lil Waters
- Ladies They Talk About (1933) as Noonan
- Lilly Turner (1933) as Edna Yokum
- Private Detective 62 (1933) as Amy
- Sing Sinner Sing (1933) as Margaret 'Maggie' Flannigan
- Goodbye Again (1933) as Richview Hotel Maid
- Bureau of Missing Persons (1933) as Pete
- Footlight Parade (1933) as Mrs. Harriet Gould
- Ever in My Heart (1933) as Lizzie, the Housekeeper
- 'Tis Spring (1933, Short)
- Female (1933) as Miss Frothingham
- Havana Widows (1933) as Emily Jones
- Convention City (1933) as Mrs. Ellerbe
- Just Around the Corner (1933, Short) as Mrs. Sears
- Mandalay (1934) as Mrs. George Peters
- Wonder Bar (1934) as Mrs. Simpson
- Heat Lightning (1934) as Mrs. Ashton-Ashley
- Merry Wives of Reno (1934) as Lois
- Housewife (1934) as Dora
- Romance in the Rain (1934) as Miss Sparks
- Happiness Ahead (1934) as Anna
- The White Cockatoo (1935) as Mrs. Byng
- Maybe It's Love (1935) as Florrie Sands
- Traveling Saleslady (1935) as Mrs. Twitchell
- Alibi Ike (1935) as Bess
- Red Salute (1935) as Mrs. Edith Rooney
- Hands Across the Table (1935) as Laura
- Personal Maid's Secret (1935) as Lizzie
- Song and Dance Man (1936) as Patsy O'Madigan
- Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) as Mabel Dawson
- Thirteen Hours by Air (1936) as Vi Johnson - Stewardess
- Fatal Lady (1936) as Melba York
- Cain and Mabel (1936) as Aunt Mimi
- More Than a Secretary (1936) as Helen Davis
- Roaring Timber (1937) as Aunt Mary
- Portia on Trial (1937) as Jane Wilkins
- A Slight Case of Murder (1938) as Nora Marco
- Army Girl (1938) as Leila Kennett
- Meet the Girls (1938) as Daisy Watson
- Personal Secretary (1938) as Grumpy
- The Affairs of Annabel (1938) as Josephine (Jo)
- Annabel Takes a Tour (1938) as Josephine (Jo)
- The Family Next Door (1939) as Mrs. Pierce
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) as Mrs. Hopper
- The Amazing Mr. Williams (1939) as Effie Perkins
- My Little Chickadee (1940) as Aunt Lou
- Scatterbrain (1940) as Miss Stevens
- Meet the Missus (1940) as Lil Higgins
- Petticoat Politics (1941) as Lil Higgins
- The Round Up (1941) as Polly Hope
- Model Wife (1941) as Mrs. Milo Everett
- The Gay Vagabond (1941) as Kate Dixon
- Sailors on Leave (1941) as Aunt Navy
- You Belong to Me (1941) as Emma
- Rise and Shine (1941) as Mame Bacon
- Johnny Doughboy (1942) as Biggy Biggsworth
- This Is the Army (1943) as Mrs. O'Brien
- Sleepy Lagoon (1943) as Sarah Rogers
- Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) as Nurse Hamilton
- Pillow to Post (1945) as Mrs. Grace Wingate
- The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) as Sister Michael
- Cinderella Jones (1946) as Cora Elliot
- In Old Sacramento (1946) as Zebby Booker
- Cross My Heart (1946) as Eve Harper
- The Ghost Goes Wild (1947) as Aunt Susan Beecher
- Millie's Daughter (1947) as Helen Reilly
- Little Miss Broadway (1947) as Aunt Minerva Van Dorn
- The Fabulous Texan (1947) as Utopia Mills
- Fighting Father Dunne (1948) as Kate Mulvey
- The Snake Pit (1948) as Ruth
- Down to the Sea in Ships (1949) as New Bedford Neighbor (scenes deleted)
- Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) as Martha
- I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951) as Glory White
- The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) as Mary Fancher
- The Wild Blue Yonder (1951) as Maj. Ida Winton
- The Spoilers (1955) as Duchess
- A Lawless Street (1955) as Molly Higgins
- Autumn Leaves (1956) as Liz Eckhart
- The Way to the Gold (1957) as Mrs. Williams
References
- ^ a b "Ruth Donnelly, Film Actress, Will Marry". Santa Cruz Evening News. Associated Press. June 24, 1932 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Nissen, Axel (2016). Accustomed to Her Face: Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. McFarland. pp. 25–26. ISBN 9781476626062. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ a b "She Laughed Her Way From Convent to Stage". The Day Book. April 22, 1915 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ruth Donnelly Other Works". Internet Movie Database. imdb.com. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- ^ "F. Donnelly Dead. 21 Years as Mayor. Trenton Leader Resigned in 1932 Because of Health. His Father Mayor 1884-86". New York Times. September 26, 1935. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ a b Blau, Eleanor (November 19, 1982). "Ruth Donnelly, Comedienne and Character Actor in Films". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
External links
- Ruth Donnelly at IMDb
- Ruth Donnelly at the Internet Broadway Database
- Ruth Donnelly at AllMovie
- Ruth Donnelly at Find a Grave
- 1896 births
- 1982 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- Actresses from New Jersey
- American stage actresses
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- American people of Irish descent
- Actors from Trenton, New Jersey
- American theatre actor, 19th-century birth stubs
- American film actor, 1890s birth stubs