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Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was a six time Academy Award-nominated American character actress of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... NY redirects here. ... // Events May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York. ... // October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...

Early life

Ritter was born in Brooklyn, New York. After appearing in high school plays and stock companies, she trained as an actress at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She followed a stage career until taking a hiatus to raise a family, then resumed her career on radio in the early 1940s. For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with campuses located at 120 Madison Avenue in New York City (in a landmark building designed by famed architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club) and 1336 North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood (in a...

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). The 45-year-old 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. Miracle on 34th Street (also titled The Big Heart in the UK) is a 1947 film which tells the story of a gentle old man, working as a Santa Claus at Macys department store in New York City, who contends that he is the real Santa. ... Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (February 11, 1909–February 6, 1993) was an American Hollywood screenwriter, director and producer. ... (Left to right) Darnell, Sothern and Crain A Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 film which tells the story of a woman who mails a letter to three women, telling them she has left town with the husband of one of them. ...

Mankiewicz kept Ritter in mind, and cast her in his All About Eve the following year. An Oscar nomination led to popularity, a second Oscar nomination for Mitchell Leisen's' classic screwball comedy The Mating Season (1951) starring Gene Tierney, John Lund and Miriam Hopkins. 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. For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... Mitchell Leisen (born October 6, 1898–died October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. ... The screwball comedy has proven to be one of the most elusive of the film genres. ... The Mating Season is a 1951 classic comedy film made by Paramount Pictures. ... Gene Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American actress. ... (For the car racer John Lund, see John Lund (racer)) John Lund (February 6, 1913 - May 10, 1992) was an American film actor of Norwegian ancestry who is probably best remembered for his role in the Billy Wilder-directed film A Foreign Affair (1948). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Screenshot of opening sequence of Alfred Hitchcock Presents Alfred Hitchcock Presents was a half-hour anthology television series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. ... General Electric Theater was a half-hour CBS television anthology broadcast every Sunday evening beginning February 1, 1953 and ending May 27, 1962. ... The United States Steel Hour was an American television show that aired from 1953 to 1955 on ABC, and from 1955 to 1963 on CBS. Like its radio predecessor of the same name, it was a live dramatic anthology program, airing episodes in a theatrical format. ...

Throughout her career, Ritter was nominated for an Academy Award six times but never received one. She co-hosted the Oscar ceremony in 1954, trading wisecracks with Bob Hope. Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Bob Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, was an English-Born American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies, and in performing tours for U.S. Military personnel, well known for his good natured humor and career longevity. ...

The diminutive, gravel-voiced Ritter gained great acclaim as a premiere character actress, known for her comic timing and sassy one-liners. She was most typically cast as the sardonic, seen-it-all housekeeper who saw through her boss's vanity and frequently told them so. But she was also fiercely protective, and neither trusted nor tolerated fools or con men. Ritter would trade on this irascible screen persona for the rest of her life.

Her unsentimental, hard-boiled fatalism could be used in other ways. In occasional non-comedic turns, she projected an unglamorous world-weariness, notably in Pickup on South Street (1953). Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub ...

Some of her best-known roles include Bette Davis's devoted maid in All About Eve (1950) as Gene Tierney's maid - mother in law in The Mating Season (1951), James Stewart's nurse in Rear Window (1954), and as Doris Day's housekeeper in Pillow Talk (1959). Her turn in John Huston's The Misfits (1961), where she played opposite Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, also garnered favorable reviews. Bette Davis (April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989), born Ruth Elizabeth Davis, was a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress of film, television and theatre. ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... Gene Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American actress. ... The Mating Season is a 1951 classic comedy film made by Paramount Pictures. ... Brigadier General James Maitland Jimmy Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing screen persona. ... Rear Window (1954) is a motion picture directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on Cornell Woolrichs short story It Had to Be Murder (1942). ... Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff (born April 3, 1924) is an American singer, actress, and animal welfare advocate known as Doris Day. ... Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners after the act of lovemaking, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, and other physical intimacy. ... John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director and actor. ... The Misfits is a 1961 American film, written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach, and Thelma Ritter. ... Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), was a Golden Globe Award-winning American actress, singer, model and pop icon. ... William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ...

Death

Shortly after a 1968 performance on The Jerry Lewis Show, Ritter suffered a heart attack which eventually proved fatal. She was 9 days shy of her 67th birthday. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ...

Selected filmography

• Move Over, Darling (1963)
• How the West Was Won (1962)
• Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
• The Misfits (1961)
• Pillow Talk (1959)
• Daddy Long Legs (1955)
• Rear Window (1954)
• Titanic (1953)
• The Mating Season (1951)
• All About Eve (1950)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947) (uncredited)

Move Over, Darling is a 1963 comedy starring Doris Day as Ellen Wagstaff Arden, a mother of two young children who was believed to be lost at sea following an airplane accident. ... For other articles named How the West Was Won, see the disambiguation page, How the West Was Won. ... Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by John Frankenheimer. ... The Misfits is a 1961 American film, written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach, and Thelma Ritter. ... Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners after the act of lovemaking, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, and other physical intimacy. ... Daddy Long Legs (MGM) is a 1955 Hollywood musical comedy film set in France and stars Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Fred Clark and Thelma Ritter, with music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. ... Rear Window (1954) is a motion picture directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on Cornell Woolrichs short story It Had to Be Murder (1942). ... Titanic is a 1953 dramatic movie directed by Jean Negulesco. ... The Mating Season is a 1951 classic comedy film made by Paramount Pictures. ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... Miracle on 34th Street (also titled The Big Heart in the UK) is a 1947 film which tells the story of a gentle old man, working as a Santa Claus at Macys department store in New York City, who contends that he is the real Santa. ...

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...

• Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role for: Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
• Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role for: Pillow Talk (1959)
• Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role for: Pickup on South Street (1953)
• Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role for: With a Song in My Heart (1952)
• Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role for: The Mating Season (1951)
• Nominated Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role for: All About Eve (1950)

(Having never actually won the award, she is tied with Deborah Kerr for the most nominations for a female actor for an acting award without winning. The record for all actors is Peter O'Toole with eight.) Birdman of Alcatraz is a 1962 film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by John Frankenheimer. ... Pillow talk is the relaxed, intimate conversation that often occurs between two sexual partners after the act of lovemaking, usually accompanied by cuddling, caresses, and other physical intimacy. ... Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub ... With a Song in My Heart is a 1952 biographical film which tells the story of actress and singer Jane Froman, who was paralyzed by an airplane crash but entertained the troops in World War II despite having to walk with crutches. ... The Mating Season is a 1951 classic comedy film made by Paramount Pictures. ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... Deborah Kerr, CBE (born 30 September 1921) is a Golden Globe award winning Scottish actress who is a recipient of an Academy Honorary Award for a motion picture career that has always represented Perfection, Discipline and Elegance. ... Peter Seamus OToole (born Peter James OToole on August 2, 1932) is an eight-time Academy Award-nominated Irish actor. ...

Emmy Awards An Emmy Award. ...

• Nominated Emmy Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Goodyear Television Playhouse for episode "The Catered Affair"

Golden Globes Awards The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ...

• Nominated Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress for: Boeing Boeing (1965)
• Nominated Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress for The Mating Season (1951)
• Nominated Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress for All About Eve (1950)

Tony Awards Boeing Boeing is a classic farce (1960) by French author Marc Camoletti; and a comedy film (1965) directed by John Rich based on Camolettis play starring Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis and Thelma Ritter. ... The Mating Season is a 1951 classic comedy film made by Paramount Pictures. ... For other uses, see All About Eve (disambiguation). ... What is popularly called the Tony Award® but is formally the Antoinette Perry Award is an annual American award celebrating achievements in theater, including musical theater. ...

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

The Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical is awarded to the actress who was voted as the best actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival. ... Gwen Evelyn Verdon (January 13, 1925 in Culver City, California – October 18, 2000 in Woodstock, Vermont) was an acclaimed Tony Award winning American dancer and actress. ...

External links

• Thelma Ritter at the Internet Movie Database
• Photos