Thelma Ritter

Thelma Ritter
from the trailer for The Mating Season (1951)
Born	February 14, 1902 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	February 5, 1969 (aged 66) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1947–1968
Spouse(s)	Joseph Moran (1927-1969)

Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American supporting and character actress from the 1940s until her death in 1969.

Early life

Ritter was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1902.^[1] After appearing in high school plays and stock companies, she trained as an actress at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She went on to establish a stage career but took a hiatus to raise her two children by her husband, Joseph Moran, an actor turned advertising-executive.

Career

Ritter did stock theater and radio shows early in her career, without much impact. Ritter's first movie role was in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). She made a memorable impression in a brief uncredited part, as a frustrated mother unable to find the toy that Kris Kringle has promised to her son. Her second role, in writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's A Letter to Three Wives (1949), also left a mark, although Ritter was again not listed in the credits.

Mankiewicz kept Ritter in mind, and cast her as "Birdie" in All About Eve (1950), which earned her an Oscar nomination. A second nomination followed for her work in Mitchell Leisen's' classic ensemeble screwball comedy The Mating Season (1951) starring Gene Tierney and John Lund. Ritter enjoyed steady film work for the next dozen years. She also appeared in many of the episodic drama TV series of the 1950s, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, General Electric Theater, and The United States Steel Hour. Later film roles were as James Stewart's nurse in Rear Window (1954) and as Doris Day's housekeeper in Pillow Talk (1959).

Although best-known for comedy roles, she played the occasional dramatic role, most notably in Pickup on South Street (1953) and The Misfits (1961).

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

Nominated Best Actress in a Supporting Role for:

• All About Eve (1950)
• The Mating Season (1951)
• With a Song in My Heart (1952)
• Pickup on South Street (1953)
• Pillow Talk (1959)
• Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

Emmy Awards

Nominated Emmy Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the Goodyear Television Playhouse production of The Catered Affair.

Golden Globe Awards

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for:

• All About Eve (1950)
• The Mating Season (1951)
• Boeing Boeing (1965)

Tony Awards

Awarded Best Actress (Musical) (1957) for New Girl in Town in a rare tie (with her co-star, Gwen Verdon)

Trivia

During her career, Ritter was nominated for an Oscar six times, giving her the distinction of being one of the two actresses (tied with Deborah Kerr) most nominated for the award in an acting category without a win. The current record for all actors is Peter O'Toole with eight nominations without a win, followed by Richard Burton with seven nominations. Both Kerr and O'Toole have received honorary awards from the Academy, however. In 1954, Thelma Ritter co-hosted the Oscar ceremony, notably trading wisecracks with Bob Hope.

Death

In February 1969, shortly after having made an appearance on The Jerry Lewis Show, Ritter suffered a heart attack, which claimed her life at age 66 (just nine days before her 67th birthday).

Filmography

• Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
• A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
• City Across the River (1949)
• Father was a Fullback (1949)
• Perfect Strangers (1950)
• All About Eve (1950)
• I'll Get By (1950)
• The Mating Season (1951)
• The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)
• As Young as You Feel (1951)
• With a Song in My Heart (1952)
• Titanic (1953)
• Pickup on South Street (1953)
• The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953)
• Rear Window (1954)
• Daddy Long Legs (1955)
• Lucy Gallant (1955)
• The Proud and Profane (1956)
• A Hole In The Head (1959)
• Pillow Talk (1959)
• The Misfits (1961)
• The Second Time Around (1961)
• Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
• How the West Was Won (1962)
• For Love or Money (1963)
• Move Over, Darling (1963)
• A New Kind of Love (1963)
• Boeing Boeing (1965)
• The Incident (1967)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thelma Ritter

References

External links

• Thelma Ritter at Find a Grave
• Thelma Ritter at the Internet Broadway Database
• Thelma Ritter at the Internet Movie Database