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Thelma Ritter (February 14 1902 – February 5 1969) was an Oscar-nominated American character actress of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

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.

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.

Mankiewicz kept Ritter in mind, and cast her in his All About Eve the following year. An Oscar nomination led to popularity and 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.

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.

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' 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).

Some of her best-known roles include James Stewart's nurse in Rear Window (1954), as Bette Davis's devoted maid in All About Eve (1950), 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, has also garnered favorable reviews.

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.

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)
• All About Eve (1950)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947) (uncredited)

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

• 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 shared between Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton with seven.)

Emmy Awards

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

Golden Globes Awards

• 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

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

External links

• Photos

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