Ruth Cromwell

Stage and film actress. Appeared in many films, inc. A Christmas without snow and The Awakenings. Her biggest claim to fame was being one of the founding memebers of the famed New York-based "Group Theatre" back in the 1930s.

Appeared in films from 1943 to 1991, one of them was Wilson (1944) where she played Ellen Wilson, President Woodrow Wilson's first wife who died when he was in office.

Married William Challee and black listed director John Cromwell whose son is James Cromwell. Dau of famed Vaudeville actress Genevra Delphine Mudge. (Little Eva.)

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=79631818

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Ruth Gloria Nelson, born on 2 August 1905 in Saginaw, Michigan. Died on 12 September 1992, aged 87 in New York City. She grew up on the vaudeville circuit with her mother, Eva Mudge, a noted quick-change artist. Then she went to Los Angeles to study at a Roman Catholic school. Although her mother had discouraged her from a show business career, a nun saw her potential and nudged her to Broadway. Her first marrige, to actor William Challee, ended in divorce. Her biggest claim to fame was as one of the founding members of the well-known New York-based „Group Theatre“ in the 1930s. She often played roles as a non-flashy, blue-collar wife, who was loyal to the bone, for example in the short play Waiting for Lefty in 1935 (written by Clifford Odet). On opening night, the audience gave an extraordinary 45-minute ovation to the play and its actors. Her 2nd husband, was director John Cromwell, who was a victim of McCarthy’s attacks in the early 50s and was labelled a Communist. They were married for 33 years. John Cromwell died in 1979. Most of Ruth’s work was on the stage in the 50s, but Robert Altman got her to return to film in 1977, featuring her in 3 Women (1977) and Wedding. Another important movie role was as Robert De Niro’s mother in Awakenings (1990).

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12081022/person/12192024120/media/1?...