Quick Facts
| Intro | Actress, vaudevillian |
| Was | Actor Television actor Film actor Stage actor |
| From | United States of America |
| Field | Film, TV, Stage & Radio |
| Gender | female |
| Birth | 14 February 1905, New York City, New York, U.S.A. |
| Death | 5 February 1969, New York City, New York, U.S.A. (aged 64 years) |
Biography
Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American actress, best known for her comedic roles as working class characters and her strong New York accent. She received six Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and won one Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Early life
Ritter was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1902. After appearing in high school plays and stock companies, she trained as an actress at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She established 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 her son. Her second role, in writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's A Letter to Three Wives (1949), left a mark, although Ritter was again uncredited. 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 ensemble screwball comedy The Mating Season (1951) starring Gene Tierney and John Lund. She enjoyed steady film work for the next dozen years.
She 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. Other 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 With a Song in My Heart (1952), Pickup on South Street (1953), Titanic (1953), and The Misfits (1961).
Death
Her last work was an appearance on The Jerry Lewis Show on January 23, 1968. Ritter died of a heart attack in New York City, nine days before her 67th birthday.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Miracle on 34th Street | Peter's Mother | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Call Northside 777 | Receptionist | Uncredited |
| 1949 | A Letter to Three Wives | Sadie Dugan | Uncredited |
| City Across the River | Mrs. Katie Cusack | ||
| Father Was a Fullback | Geraldine | ||
| 1950 | Perfect Strangers | Lena Fassler | |
| I'll Get By | Miss Murphy | ||
| All About Eve | Birdie Coonan | Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture |
|
| 1951 | The Mating Season | Ellen McNulty | Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture |
| As Young as You Feel | Della Hodges | ||
| The Model and the Marriage Broker | Mae Swasey | ||
| 1952 | With a Song in My Heart | Clancy | Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1953 | Titanic | Maude Young | |
| Pickup on South Street | Moe Williams | Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| The Farmer Takes a Wife | Lucy Cashdollar | ||
| 1954 | Rear Window | Stella | |
| Lux Video Theatre | Lux Video Theatre Guest | episode: Christmas in July | |
| 1955 | The Best of Broadway | Mrs. Fisher | episode: The Show-Off |
| Daddy Long Legs | Alicia Pritchard | ||
| Lucy Gallant | Molly Basserman | ||
| The 20th Century Fox Hour | Abby | episode: Christopher Bean | |
| Goodyear Television Playhouse | Aggie Hurley | episode: The Catered Affair Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role |
|
| 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Lottie Slocum | episode: The Baby Sitter |
| The Proud and Profane | Kate Connors | ||
| 1957 | Telephone Time | Mary Devlin | episode: Plot to Save a Boy |
| The United States Steel Hour | Ma Garfield | episode: The Human Pattern | |
| 1959 | A Hole in the Head | Sophie Manetta | |
| Pillow Talk | Alma | Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (2nd place) Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress |
|
| 1960 | G.E. True Theatre | Doris Green | episode: Sarah's Laughter |
| Startime (TV series) | Mrs. Gillis | episode: The Man | |
| 1961 | The Misfits | Isabelle Steers | |
| Frontier Circus | Bertha Marie Beecher | episode: Journey from Hannibal | |
| The Second Time Around | Aggie Gates | Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (3rd place) | |
| 1962 | Birdman of Alcatraz | Elizabeth Stroud | Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (3rd place) Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| Wagon Train | Madame Sagittarius | episode: The Madame Sagittarius Story | |
| How the West Was Won | Agatha Clegg | ||
| 1963 | For Love or Money | Chloe Brasher | |
| A New Kind of Love | Leena | Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (3rd place) | |
| Move Over, Darling | Grace Arden | ||
| 1965 | Boeing Boeing | Bertha | Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (2nd place) Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture |
| 1967 | The Incident | Bertha Beckerman | |
| 1968 | What's So Bad About Feeling Good? | Mrs. Schwartz | (final film role) |
Radio appearances
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Theatre Guild on the Air | A Square Peg |
Awards and nominations
During her career, Ritter was nominated for an Oscar six times, giving her the distinction of being one of the three actresses (tied with Deborah Kerr and Glenn Close) 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 received honorary awards from the Academy, however. In 1954, Thelma Ritter co-hosted the Oscar ceremony, notably trading wisecracks with Bob Hope.
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 for an Emmy (in 1956), as 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 in a Musical (1957) for New Girl in Town in a rare tie (with her co-star, Gwen Verdon).
