Ruth White (actress)

Infobox actor
bgcolour = silver
name = Ruth White


imagesize =
caption =
birthdate = birth date|1914|4|24|mf=y
location = Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S.
height =
deathdate = death date and age|1969|12|3|1914|4|24
deathplace = Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S.
yearsactive = 1946-1971
birthname =
othername = Ruth Godfrey
homepage =
academyawards =

Ruth White (April 24, 1914 – December 3, 1969) was an American Emmy Award-winning and movie actress.

Early career

A lifelong resident of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, White graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Literature from Rutgers University in 1935. While pursuing her acting career in nearby New York City, she taught acting and drama at Seton Hall University. During this period, she also vigorously studied acting with Maria Ouspenskaya.imdb|0925418|Ruth White]

As luck would have it, White was the daughter-in-law of Columbia Pictures short subject head Jules White. She made her film debut in the Three Stooges film "Rhythm and Weep", directed by father-in-law Jules. As to not give the impression of nepotism, she occasionally went by the name Ruth Godfrey, as to disassociate herself from Jules. White appeared in several more Three Stooges films throughout the 1950s, such as "Shot in the Frontier", "Musty Musketeers ", and "Pardon My Backfire". Memorably, White became the only actress in the history of the slapstick comedy trio to deliver a triple slap—twice—to the Stooges in 1957's "A Merry Mix Up".

Career hiatus and resurgence

White's career was put on hold in the late 1950s while she nursed her ailing mother. The effects of her mother's illness took their toll on White, who had gained weight and looked older than her age. Surprisingly, she managed to bounce back with vigor and appeared in off-Broadway plays of Samuel Beckett ("Happy Days") and Edward Albee ("Malcolm" and "Box"). White also earned a Tony Award nomination in 1968 for her role in Harold Pinter's "The Birthday Party."

White then nominated for (and won) an Emmy Award in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of "Little Moon of Alban". By the end of the 1960s, White had become one of New York's most highly praised and in demand character actresses.

White also memorably appeared in such later films as "Midnight Cowboy", "Hang 'Em High" and "No Way To Treat A Lady".

Death

White died suddenly of cancer on December 3, 1969. She is interred with her brothers Charles White and Richard White in the White Family Plot at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

Her final film role was in "The Pursuit of Happiness", released two years after her death.

elected filmography

* "The Pursuit of Happiness" (1971)
* "Midnight Cowboy" (1969)
* "No Way To Treat A Lady" (1968)
* "Charly" (1968)
* "Hang 'Em High" (1968)
* "Up the Down Staircase" (1967)
* "Little Moon of Alban" (1964)
* "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962)
* "A Merry Mix Up" (1957)
* "Rumpus in the Harem" (1956)
* "Shot in the Frontier" (1954)
* "Pals and Gals" (1954)
* "Musty Musketeers " (1954)
* "Pardon My Backfire" (1953)
* "Rhythm and Weep" (1946)

External links

References

Persondata
NAME= White, Ruth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1914-4-24
PLACE OF BIRTH= Perth Amboy, New Jersey USA
DATE OF DEATH= 1969-12-3
PLACE OF DEATH= Perth Amboy, New Jersey USA