Thelma Ritter
(1905 - 1969)Irascible, persnickety, hard-boiled, outspoken, cynical and wisecracking...all terms used to describe the type roles that Thelma Ritter played. Her small frame was no deterrent as her personality and gravelly-voiced, nasal twang became her best assets in her acting career. She was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 14, 1905 and began acting as a child in grade school and later in New York City stock (theatre) companies. Her stage career throughout the New England area was mostly unsuccessful and she ventured into radio appearing on such shows as "Mr. District Attorney"; "Big Town" and "The Aldrich Family". It was a family friend, director George Seaton, who cast her in "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947) as Peter's Mother that launched her successful film career. She was nominated six times for an Oscar but never won. Her other films included: "Letter to Three Wives" (1949) uncredited as Sadie; "Call Northside 777" (1948) in a bit part; "All About Eve" (1950) as Birdie for which she received her first Oscar nomination; "The Mating Season" (1951) as Ellen McNulty, her second Oscar nod; "With a Song in My Heart" (1952) as Clancy, her third Oscar nod; "Pickup on South Street" (1953) as Moe, her fourth Oscar nod; "Titanic" (1953) as Mrs. Young; "The Farmer Takes a Wife" (1953) as Lucy Cashdollar; Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954) as Stella; "Lucy Gallant" (1955) as Molly Basserman; "Pillow Talk" (1959) as Alma, her fifth Oscar nod; my favorite role of hers "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962) as Robert Stroud's (Burt Lancaster) mother Elizabeth Stroud, her sixth Oscar nomination; "How the West Was Won" (1962) as Agatha Clegg; "Move Over Darling" (1963) as Grace Arden and "What's So Bad About Feeling Good?" (1968) her last film. She guested on many TV series including: "Wagon Train"; "Frontier Circus"; "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The United States Steel Hour." She died of a heart attack on February 4, 1969 in New York City, New York.
From Great Character Actors, Page 2.
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