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{{short description|American singer, actress and political activist}}
{{short description|American singer, actress and activist (1916–2005)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Ruth Warrick
| name = Ruth Warrick
| image = RUTHWarrick.jpg
| image = RUTHWarrick.jpg
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|6|29|mf=y}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|6|29|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Saint Joseph, Missouri]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Saint Joseph, Missouri]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2005|1|15|1916|6|29|mf=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2005|1|15|1916|6|29|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Manhattan, New York]], U.S.
| death_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
| resting_place =
| resting_place = The Church of the Transfiguration, also known as the Little Church Around the Corner, 1 East 29th Street, New York, New York
| birth_name = Ruth Elizabeth Warrick
| birth_name = Ruth Elizabeth Warrick
| occupation = {{flatlist|
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Actress
* Actress
* singer
* singer
* activist
* activist
}}
}}
| yearsactive = 1941–2005
| yearsactive = 1940–2005
| spouse = {{plainlist|
| spouse = {{marriage|Erik Rolf|1938|1945|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Carl Neubert|1950|1952|end=divorced}},<br>{{marriage| |1961|1963|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Robert McNamara|1953|1960|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|[[Frank Freda]]|1972|1973|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Jarvis Cushing|1975|1976|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Erik Rolf|1938|1946|end=divorced}}
⚫
|children = 3
* {{marriage|Carl Neubert|1950|1952|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage| |1961|1963|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Robert McNamara|1953|1960|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Frank Freda|1972|1973|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Jarvis Cushing|1975|1976|end=divorced}}
}}
⚫
| children = 3
}}
}}


'''Ruth Elizabeth Warrick''' (June 29, 1916&nbsp;– January 15, 2005) was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as [[Phoebe Tyler Wallingford]] on ''[[All My Children]]'', which she played regularly from 1970 until her death in 2005. She made her film debut in ''[[Citizen Kane]]'', and years later celebrated her 80th birthday by attending a special screening of the film.
'''Ruth Elizabeth Warrick'''{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}} (June 29, 1916&nbsp;– January 15, 2005) was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as [[Phoebe Tyler Wallingford]] on ''[[All My Children]]'', which she played regularly from 1970 until her death in 2005. She made her film debut in ''[[Citizen Kane]]'', and years later celebrated her 80th birthday by attending a special screening of the film.


==Early life and career==
==Early life and career==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2016}}
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2016}}
[[File:Citizen-Kane-Wedding-1.jpg|thumb|left|300px|As Emily Monroe Norton, the bride of [[Orson Welles]]' character, Charles Foster Kane, in ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941)]]
[[File:Citizen-Kane-Wedding-1.jpg|thumb|left|300px|As Emily Monroe Norton, the bride of [[Orson Welles]]' character, Charles Foster Kane, in ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941)]]
Ruth Warrick was born June 29, 1916, in [[Saint Joseph, Missouri]],<ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite news |last=Carr |first=David |author-link=David Carr (journalist) |date=January 18, 2005 |title=Ruth Warrick, Veteran Film and TV Star, Dies at 88|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/18/movies/ruth-warrick-veteran-film-and-tv-star-dies-at-88.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=January 21, 2016 }}</ref> to Frederick Roswell Warrick and Annie Louise Warrick, nee Scott. By writing an essay in high school called "Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis", Warrick won a contest to be Miss Jubilesta, [[Missouri]]'s paid ambassador to [[New York City]]. There she began her career as a radio singer, and met her first husband Erik Rolf.
Ruth Warrick was born June 29, 1916, in [[Saint Joseph, Missouri]],<ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite news |last=Carr |first=David |author-link=David Carr (journalist) |date=January 18, 2005 |title=Ruth Warrick, Veteran Film and TV Star, Dies at 88|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/18/movies/ruth-warrick-veteran-film-and-tv-star-dies-at-88.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=January 21, 2016 }}</ref> to Frederick Roswell Warrick and Annie Louise Warrick, née Scott. By writing an essay in high school called "Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis", Warrick won a contest to be Miss Jubilesta, [[Missouri]]'s paid ambassador to [[New York City]]. There she began her career as a radio singer, and met her first husband Erik Rolf.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


Warrick's first big break was being hired by a young [[Orson Welles]] for ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941), in which she played Emily Monroe Norton, niece of the President of the United States and Kane's first wife. Welles pulled her photograph from the hundreds he had been sent by agents; he recognized her from a radio show they had worked on together in 1938. He spoke with her in New York: "I'm not looking for an actress that can ''play'' a lady," he said, "I want an actress who ''is'' a lady." She was in California within days, making several screen tests including one with Welles, and was regarded as perfect for the role.<ref name="Brady">{{cite book |last=Brady |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Brady (writer) |title=Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles |publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] |location=New York |date=1989 |isbn=0-385-26759-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/citizenwellesbio00brad }}</ref>{{Rp|246–247}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/ruth-warrick# |title=Interview: Ruth Warrick |publisher=[[Archive of American Television]] |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref> Warrick was expecting her first child during the filming of ''Kane'', which prevented her being cast in ''The Magnificent Ambersons'';<ref name="Brady"/>{{Rp|267, 315–316}} but she worked on a 1942 episode ("My Little Boy") of [[The Orson Welles Show (radio series)|Welles's radio series]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=The+Mercury+Theatre |title=The Mercury Theatre |publisher=RadioGOLDINdex |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/1941OrsonWellesShowladyEsther |title=1941 Orson Welles Show |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref> and Welles hired her again for ''[[Journey into Fear (1943 film)|Journey into Fear]]'' (1943).<ref name="Brady"/>{{Rp|328}}
Warrick's first big break was being hired by a young [[Orson Welles]] for ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941), in which she played Emily Monroe Norton, niece of the President of the United States and Kane's first wife. Welles pulled her photograph from the hundreds he had been sent by agents; he recognized her from a radio show they had worked on together in 1938. He spoke with her in New York: "I'm not looking for an actress that can ''play'' a lady," he said, "I want an actress who ''is'' a lady." She was in California within days, making several screen tests including one with Welles, and was regarded as perfect for the role.<ref name="Brady">{{cite book |last=Brady |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Brady (writer) |title=Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles |publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] |location=New York |date=1989 |isbn=0-385-26759-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/citizenwellesbio00brad }}</ref>{{Rp|246–247}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/ruth-warrick# |title=Interview: Ruth Warrick |publisher=[[Archive of American Television]] |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref> Warrick was expecting her first child during the filming of ''Kane'', which prevented her being cast in ''The Magnificent Ambersons'';<ref name="Brady"/>{{Rp|267, 315–316}} but she worked on a 1942 episode ("My Little Boy") of [[The Orson Welles Show (radio series)|Welles's radio series]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=The+Mercury+Theatre |title=The Mercury Theatre |publisher=RadioGOLDINdex |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/1941OrsonWellesShowladyEsther |title=1941 Orson Welles Show |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref> and Welles hired her again for ''[[Journey into Fear (1943 film)|Journey into Fear]]'' (1943).<ref name="Brady"/>{{Rp|328}}
Line 44: Line 51:


==Singing, writing and politics==
==Singing, writing and politics==
In 1971, she published a single with the song ''41,000 Plus 4 The Ballad of the Kent State Massacre'' as an hommage to [[Sandra Lee Scheuer]], [[William Knox Schroeder]], [[Jeffrey Glenn Miller]] and [[Allison Beth Krause]], the four students killed at [[Kent State University]] during a demonstration against the [[Vietnam war]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brummer|first1=Justin|title=Vietnam War: Kent / Jackson State Songs|url=https://rateyourmusic.com/list/JBrummer/vietnam_war__kent___jackson_state_songs/|website=RYM|access-date=September 16, 2015}}</ref> She published her [[autobiography]], ''The Confessions of Phoebe Tyler'' (co-written by [[Don Preston]]) in 1980, the same year she won a [[Soapy Award]] (a prelude to the [[Soap Opera Digest Awards]]). She received a Star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] and was on hand to receive her [[Daytime Emmy Award]] for Lifetime Achievement in 2004.
In 1971, she published a single with the song ''41,000 Plus 4 The Ballad of the Kent State Massacre'' as a tribute to [[Sandra Lee Scheuer]], [[William Knox Schroeder]], [[Jeffrey Glenn Miller]], and [[Allison Beth Krause]], the four students killed at [[Kent State University]] during a demonstration against the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brummer|first1=Justin|title=Vietnam War: Kent / Jackson State Songs|url=https://rateyourmusic.com/list/JBrummer/vietnam_war__kent___jackson_state_songs/|website=RYM|access-date=September 16, 2015}}</ref>{{deprecated source|certain=y|date=November 2024}} She published her [[autobiography]], ''The Confessions of Phoebe Tyler'' (co-written by [[Don Preston]]) in 1980, the same year she won a [[Soapy Award]] (a prelude to the [[Soap Opera Digest Awards]]). She received a Star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] and was on hand to receive her [[Daytime Emmy Award]] for Lifetime Achievement in 2004.


Warrick was a member of the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]], working with the administrations of [[John F. Kennedy]], [[Lyndon Johnson]] and [[Jimmy Carter]] on [[labor union|labor]] and education issues. Upon Carter's [[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980 defeat]], she sent him a long letter thanking him for his efforts. He replied, telling her that if he had hired her as a speechwriter, he would have been reelected. Warrick had generally [[Liberalism|liberal]] political views. In her first years at ''All My Children'', Warrick was flustered by her character's conservative politics and support of U.S. involvement in the [[Vietnam War]], which Warrick strongly opposed.
Warrick was a member of the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]], working with the administrations of [[John F. Kennedy]], [[Lyndon Johnson]], and [[Jimmy Carter]] on [[labor union|labor]] and education issues. Upon Carter's [[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980 defeat]], she sent him a long letter thanking him for his efforts. He replied, telling her that if he had hired her as a speechwriter, he would have been reelected. Warrick had generally [[Liberalism|liberal]] political views. In her first years at ''All My Children'', Warrick was flustered by her character's conservative politics and support of U.S. involvement in the [[Vietnam War]], which Warrick strongly opposed.


In July 2000, she refused to accept a lifetime achievement award from the South Carolina Arts Commission because she was offended by legislators' decision to move the [[Confederate flag]] from the state Capitol dome to another spot on the grounds in response to a boycott of the state by flag opponents. A lifelong supporter of [[African American]] rights, she felt the flag should be removed completely, and commented, "In my view, this was no compromise. It was a deliberate affront to the African-Americans, who see it as a sign of oppression and hate".
In July 2000, she refused to accept a lifetime achievement award from the South Carolina Arts Commission because she was offended by legislators' decision to move the [[Confederate flag]] from the state Capitol dome to another spot on the grounds in response to a boycott of the state by flag opponents. A lifelong supporter of [[African Americans|African-American]] rights, she felt the flag should be removed completely, and commented, "In my view, this was no compromise. It was a deliberate affront to the African-Americans, who see it as a sign of oppression and hate".


In 1991, Warrick received a certification as a licensed metaphysical teacher from a [[Unity Church|Unity]] school in [[Lee's Summit, Missouri]].<ref name="Futon">{{cite news |date=January 18, 2005 |title=Film, Television and Stage Legend Ruth Warrick, Star of 'All My Children' and 'Citizen Kane,' Dies at 88|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2005/01/18/film-television-and-stage-legend-ruth-warrick-star-of-all-my-children-and-citizen-kane-dies-at-88-17645/20050118abc01/ |newspaper=[[The Futon Critic]]/[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |access-date=September 28, 2020 }}</ref>
In 1991, Warrick received a certification as a licensed metaphysical teacher from a [[Unity Church|Unity]] school in [[Lee's Summit, Missouri]].<ref name="Futon">{{cite news |date=January 18, 2005 |title=Film, Television and Stage Legend Ruth Warrick, Star of 'All My Children' and 'Citizen Kane,' Dies at 88|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2005/01/18/film-television-and-stage-legend-ruth-warrick-star-of-all-my-children-and-citizen-kane-dies-at-88-17645/20050118abc01/ |newspaper=[[The Futon Critic]]/[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |access-date=September 28, 2020 }}</ref>
Line 55: Line 62:
Warrick died of complications related to [[pneumonia]] on January 15, 2005, aged 88, at her home in Manhattan.<ref name="NYT Obit"/>
Warrick died of complications related to [[pneumonia]] on January 15, 2005, aged 88, at her home in Manhattan.<ref name="NYT Obit"/>


==Posthumous==
==Legacy==
The January 24, 2005 episode of ''All My Children'' was dedicated "In Loving Memory of Ruth Warrick". Phoebe died offscreen on May 4.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soapcentral.com/all-my-children/recaps/2005/050502.php|title=All My Children Recaps: The week of May 2, 2005 on AMC|website=soapcentral.com}}</ref> Phoebe's funeral was aired May 12, 2005. The episode featured many of Warrick's most notable performances as flashbacks, and included the return of many of the characters who had been heavily involved in her storylines over the years. Warrick was included in the memorial tribute at the [[11th Screen Actors Guild Awards]].{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}
The January 24, 2005 episode of ''All My Children'' was dedicated "In Loving Memory of Ruth Warrick". Phoebe died offscreen on May 4.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soapcentral.com/all-my-children/recaps/2005/050502.php|title=All My Children Recaps: The week of May 2, 2005 on AMC|website=soapcentral.com}}</ref> Phoebe's funeral was aired May 12, 2005. The episode featured many of Warrick's most notable performances as flashbacks, and included the return of many of the characters who had been heavily involved in her storylines over the years. Warrick was included in the memorial tribute at the [[11th Screen Actors Guild Awards]].{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}


Film historian Scott Feinberg conducted the final interview with Warrick on August 14, 2004, at her apartment in New York City. After her death, her family put much of her estate in an auction.<ref>[http://www.dawsonandnye.com Profile], dawsonandnye.com; accessed March 29, 2015.</ref>
Film historian Scott Feinberg conducted the final interview with Warrick on August 14, 2004, at her apartment in New York City. After her death, her family put much of her estate in an auction.<ref>[http://www.dawsonandnye.com Profile], dawsonandnye.com; accessed March 29, 2015.</ref>


The auction included her extensive collection of art and photographs, as well as books signed by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Signed scripts from ''Peyton Place'' and ''All My Children'', as well as her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] appearances were also in the catalog. The centerpiece of the catalog was the 25th anniversary reprint script of ''Citizen Kane'', signed by Warrick, Cotten and Welles, one of only 100 printed. Her family donated her 2004 Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award to a museum in her hometown of [[Saint Joseph, Missouri]].
The auction included her extensive collection of art and photographs, as well as books signed by [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]]. Signed scripts from ''Peyton Place'' and ''All My Children'', as well as her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] appearances were also in the catalog. The centerpiece of the catalog was the 25th anniversary reprint script of ''Citizen Kane'', signed by Warrick, Cotten, and Welles, one of only 100 printed. Her family donated her 2004 Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award to a museum in her hometown of [[Saint Joseph, Missouri]].


==Film credits==
==Film credits==
Line 78: Line 85:
| ''[[Citizen Kane]]''
| ''[[Citizen Kane]]''
| Emily Monroe Norton Kane
| Emily Monroe Norton Kane
| Film debut<ref name="AFI">{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/SearchResult.aspx?s=&TBL=PN&Type=CA&ID=136993 |title=Ruth Warrick |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>
| Film debut<ref name="AFI">{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/SearchResult.aspx?s=&TBL=PN&Type=CA&ID=136993 |title=Ruth Warrick |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|-
| 1941
| 1941
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| ''{{sortname|The|Iron Major}}''
| ''{{sortname|The|Iron Major}}''
| Florence Ayres Cavanaugh
| Florence Ayres Cavanaugh
| <ref name="AFI"/>
⚫
|-
| 1943
| ''[[Petticoat Larceny]]''
| Pat Mitchell
| <ref name="AFI"/>
| <ref name="AFI"/>
|-
|-
Line 168: Line 170:
| ''[[Arch of Triumph (1948 film)|Arch of Triumph]]''
| ''[[Arch of Triumph (1948 film)|Arch of Triumph]]''
| Kate Bergstroem
| Kate Bergstroem
| Scenes removed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=25448 |title=Arch of Triumph |website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films |publisher=American Film Institute |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>
| Scenes removed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=25448 |title=Arch of Triumph |website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films |publisher=American Film Institute |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|-
| 1949
| 1949
| ''[[Make Believe Ballroom]]''
| ''[[Make Believe Ballroom (film)|Make Believe Ballroom]]''
| Liza Lee
| Liza Lee
| <ref name="AFI"/>
| <ref name="AFI"/>
Line 196: Line 198:
|-
|-
| 1950
| 1950
| ''[[Three Husbands]]''
| ''[[Three Husbands (1951 film)|Three Husbands]]''
| Jane Evans
| Jane Evans
| <ref name="AFI"/>
| <ref name="AFI"/>
Line 208: Line 210:
| ''[[Roogie's Bump]]''
| ''[[Roogie's Bump]]''
| Mrs. Rigsby
| Mrs. Rigsby
| <ref name="AFI"/>
⚫
|-
| 1961
⚫
| ''[[Father of the Bride (TV series)|Father of the Bride]]''
⚫
| Ellie Banks
⚫
|-
⚫
| 1964
⚫
| ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]''
⚫
| S8 Ep. 13: "The Case of the Blonde Bonanza": Mrs. Winlock
| <ref name="AFI"/>
| <ref name="AFI"/>
|-
|-
| 1965
| 1965
| ''A Letter to Nancy''
| ''[[A Letter To Nancy]]''
| Mrs. Helen Reed
| Mrs. Helen Reed
|
|
Line 248: Line 241:
| Beatrice VandenBerg
| Beatrice VandenBerg
|
|
|}

==Selected television appearances==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
⚫
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
⚫
|-
| 1961–1962
⚫
| ''[[Father of the Bride (TV series)|Father of the Bride]]''
⚫
| Ellie Banks
| TV series main cast; 34 episodes
⚫
|-
⚫
| 1964
⚫
| ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]''
| Mrs. Winlock
⚫
| Season 8 Episode 13: "The Case of the Blonde Bonanza": <ref name="AFI"/>
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Gunsmoke]]''
| Clara Benteen
| Season 11 Episode 2: "The Storm"
|-
| 1965–1969
| ''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]''
| Hannah Cord
| 88 episodes
|-
| 1968
| ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]''
| Alice Garrow
| Season 4 Episode 15: "The Seven Wonders of the World: Part I"
|-
| 1970–2005
| ''[[All My Children]]''
| Phoebe Tyler Wallingford
| 511 episodes
|}
|}


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==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category|Ruth Warrick}}
{{commons category|Ruth Warrick}}
* {{IMDb name|0913095}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{iobdb name|21636}}
* {{iobdb name}}
* {{emmytvlegends name|ruth-warrick}}
* {{emmytvlegends name|ruth-warrick}}
* {{Find a Grave|10336024}}
* {{Find a Grave}}
* [http://www.soapcentral.com/amc/theactors/warrick.php Ruth Warrick profile at Soapcentral.com]
* [http://www.soapcentral.com/amc/theactors/warrick.php Ruth Warrick profile at Soapcentral.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071216060905/http://alt.tcm.turner.com/MONTH_SPOTS/99/05/orson_welles.htm Interview with Ruth Warrick] (July 1997) at [[Turner Classic Movies]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071216060905/http://alt.tcm.turner.com/MONTH_SPOTS/99/05/orson_welles.htm Interview with Ruth Warrick] (July 1997) at [[Turner Classic Movies]]
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[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:Actors from St. Joseph, Missouri]]
[[Category:Actresses from St. Joseph, Missouri]]
[[Category:Actresses from Missouri]]
[[Category:American autobiographers]]
[[Category:American autobiographers]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
Line 288: Line 320:
[[Category:Missouri Democrats]]
[[Category:Missouri Democrats]]
[[Category:New York (state) Democrats]]
[[Category:New York (state) Democrats]]
[[Category:Women autobiographers]]
[[Category:American women autobiographers]]
[[Category:Baptists from California]]
[[Category:Baptists from California]]
[[Category:Baptists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Baptists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:20th-century Baptists]]
[[Category:20th-century Baptists]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in New York City]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]

Latest revision as of 14:04, 1 January 2025

Ruth Warrick
Born
Ruth Elizabeth Warrick

(1916-06-29)June 29, 1916
Saint Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJanuary 15, 2005(2005-01-15) (aged 88)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • activist
Years active1940–2005
Spouses
Erik Rolf
​
​
(m. 1938; div. 1946)​
Carl Neubert
​
​
(m. 1950; div. 1952)​
​
​
(m. 1961; div. 1963)​
Robert McNamara
​
​
(m. 1953; div. 1960)​
Frank Freda
​
​
(m. 1972; div. 1973)​
Jarvis Cushing
​
​
(m. 1975; div. 1976)​
Children3

Ruth Elizabeth Warrick[citation needed] (June 29, 1916 – January 15, 2005) was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on All My Children, which she played regularly from 1970 until her death in 2005. She made her film debut in Citizen Kane, and years later celebrated her 80th birthday by attending a special screening of the film.

Early life and career

[edit]
As Emily Monroe Norton, the bride of Orson Welles' character, Charles Foster Kane, in Citizen Kane (1941)

Ruth Warrick was born June 29, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri,[1] to Frederick Roswell Warrick and Annie Louise Warrick, née Scott. By writing an essay in high school called "Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis", Warrick won a contest to be Miss Jubilesta, Missouri's paid ambassador to New York City. There she began her career as a radio singer, and met her first husband Erik Rolf.[citation needed]

Warrick's first big break was being hired by a young Orson Welles for Citizen Kane (1941), in which she played Emily Monroe Norton, niece of the President of the United States and Kane's first wife. Welles pulled her photograph from the hundreds he had been sent by agents; he recognized her from a radio show they had worked on together in 1938. He spoke with her in New York: "I'm not looking for an actress that can play a lady," he said, "I want an actress who is a lady." She was in California within days, making several screen tests including one with Welles, and was regarded as perfect for the role.[2]: 246–247 [3] Warrick was expecting her first child during the filming of Kane, which prevented her being cast in The Magnificent Ambersons;[2]: 267, 315–316  but she worked on a 1942 episode ("My Little Boy") of Welles's radio series,[4][5] and Welles hired her again for Journey into Fear (1943).[2]: 328 

She appeared in The Corsican Brothers, The Iron Major, Mr. Winkle Goes to War, and Guest in the House. Following World War II, she had a role in the Academy Award-winning Disney film Song of the South; she also appeared in Daisy Kenyon, which starred Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda, but by the late 1940s her film roles were becoming infrequent and less notable. After playing Betty Hutton's sister-in-law in Let's Dance, she starred as a troubled wife looking back at her life in the religious drama Second Chance and an alcoholic wife and mother in One Too Many (all 1950).[6]

In the 1950s, she befriended soap opera executives Irna Phillips and Agnes Nixon. Warrick became a cast member on the soap opera The Guiding Light, playing Janet Johnson, R.N. from 1953 to 1954. Phillips was impressed by Warrick's performance and hired her for her new soap opera, As the World Turns when the show debuted in 1956. Her character, Edith Hughes, was madly in love with a married man, Jim Lowell. Phillips wanted the characters to live happily ever after, but Procter & Gamble, which owned the show, demanded that the characters not endorse adultery, so Jim "died". She stayed on the show until 1960.

From 1959 to 1960, she understudied for Una Merkel and (future All My Children co-star) Eileen Herlie in the Broadway musical, Take Me Along. During the 1961-62 television season, she starred in Father of the Bride television series. Then, in 1965, she joined the cast of the primetime serial, Peyton Place, playing Hannah Cord. While there had been primetime serials before (such as One Man's Family), none previously had enjoyed the phenomenal success of Peyton Place. Warrick received an Emmy Award nomination for her work on this show in 1967, the same year she left the show. In 1969, she made her last major film, The Great Bank Robbery. During this time, Agnes Nixon had been moving up the daytime television ranks. She had created her own show, One Life to Live, in 1968. ABC approved her new show, All My Children, in 1969.

All My Children

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As Mrs. Emmeline Marshall in the Broadway musical Irene

When All My Children debuted on January 5, 1970, Warrick was among the contracted cast, playing Pine Valley's imperious matriarch Phoebe Tyler (the character's full name via her marriages would eventually be Phoebe English Tyler Wallingford Matthews Wallingford). The show was an instant hit and Phoebe became a popular character. While her role was originally that of a serious society snob concerned mainly with keeping her family's name at the top of the town's social register, she later began to add much humor into the role, especially when her character, separated from her husband of many years, began having an affair with a phony professor Langley Wallingford, and eventually married him. Warrick received Daytime Emmy Award nominations in 1975 and 1977.

Due to health problems, actor Louis Edmonds, who portrayed Warrick's All My Children husband, left the show in 1995. Combined with Warrick's own health problems, that signaled a reduction in her screen time in the 1990s. Warrick broke her hip while on vacation in Greece in 2001 and thenceforth used a wheelchair. She had a brief re-emergence in 2002 when Phoebe made a return appearance at a hospital board meeting and later attended a society function with niece Brooke. Warrick was seldom on screen, but did appear on All My Children's 35th anniversary show on January 5, 2005. This would be Warrick's final screen appearance.[7]

Singing, writing and politics

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In 1971, she published a single with the song 41,000 Plus 4 The Ballad of the Kent State Massacre as a tribute to Sandra Lee Scheuer, William Knox Schroeder, Jeffrey Glenn Miller, and Allison Beth Krause, the four students killed at Kent State University during a demonstration against the Vietnam War.[8][deprecated source] She published her autobiography, The Confessions of Phoebe Tyler (co-written by Don Preston) in 1980, the same year she won a Soapy Award (a prelude to the Soap Opera Digest Awards). She received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was on hand to receive her Daytime Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004.

Warrick was a member of the Democratic Party, working with the administrations of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Jimmy Carter on labor and education issues. Upon Carter's 1980 defeat, she sent him a long letter thanking him for his efforts. He replied, telling her that if he had hired her as a speechwriter, he would have been reelected. Warrick had generally liberal political views. In her first years at All My Children, Warrick was flustered by her character's conservative politics and support of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, which Warrick strongly opposed.

In July 2000, she refused to accept a lifetime achievement award from the South Carolina Arts Commission because she was offended by legislators' decision to move the Confederate flag from the state Capitol dome to another spot on the grounds in response to a boycott of the state by flag opponents. A lifelong supporter of African-American rights, she felt the flag should be removed completely, and commented, "In my view, this was no compromise. It was a deliberate affront to the African-Americans, who see it as a sign of oppression and hate".

In 1991, Warrick received a certification as a licensed metaphysical teacher from a Unity school in Lee's Summit, Missouri.[9]

Death

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Warrick died of complications related to pneumonia on January 15, 2005, aged 88, at her home in Manhattan.[1]

Legacy

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The January 24, 2005 episode of All My Children was dedicated "In Loving Memory of Ruth Warrick". Phoebe died offscreen on May 4.[10] Phoebe's funeral was aired May 12, 2005. The episode featured many of Warrick's most notable performances as flashbacks, and included the return of many of the characters who had been heavily involved in her storylines over the years. Warrick was included in the memorial tribute at the 11th Screen Actors Guild Awards.[citation needed]

Film historian Scott Feinberg conducted the final interview with Warrick on August 14, 2004, at her apartment in New York City. After her death, her family put much of her estate in an auction.[11]

The auction included her extensive collection of art and photographs, as well as books signed by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Signed scripts from Peyton Place and All My Children, as well as her Broadway appearances were also in the catalog. The centerpiece of the catalog was the 25th anniversary reprint script of Citizen Kane, signed by Warrick, Cotten, and Welles, one of only 100 printed. Her family donated her 2004 Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award to a museum in her hometown of Saint Joseph, Missouri.

Film credits

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Year Title Role Notes
1940 Citizen Kane trailer Herself, Emily Monroe Norton Short[12]: 360 
1941 Citizen Kane Emily Monroe Norton Kane Film debut[6]
1941 The Corsican Brothers Isabelle Gravini [6]
1942 Obliging Young Lady Linda Norton [6]
1943 Journey into Fear Stephanie Graham [6]
1943 Forever and a Day Leslie Trimble [6]
1943 Petticoat Larceny Pat Mitchell
1943 The Iron Major Florence Ayres Cavanaugh [6]
1944 Secret Command Lea Damaron
1944 Guest in the House Ann Proctor [6]
1944 Mr. Winkle Goes to War Amy Winkle [6]
1944 Secret Command Lea Damaron [6]
1945 China Sky Dr. Sara Durand [6]
1946 Perilous Holiday Agnes Stuart [6]
1946 Song of the South Sally [6]
1947 Swell Guy Ann Duncan [6]
1947 Driftwood Susan Moore [6]
1947 Daisy Kenyon Lucile O'Mara [6]
1948 Arch of Triumph Kate Bergstroem Scenes removed[13]
1949 Make Believe Ballroom Liza Lee [6]
1949 The Great Dan Patch Ruth Treadwell [6]
1950 Beauty on Parade Marian Medford [6]
1950 Second Chance Emily Dean [6]
1950 Let's Dance Carola Everett [6]
1950 Three Husbands Jane Evans [6]
1951 One Too Many Helen Mason / Helen Leroy Lintz [6]
1954 Roogie's Bump Mrs. Rigsby [6]
1965 A Letter To Nancy Mrs. Helen Reed
1966 Ride Beyond Vengeance Aunt Gussie [6]
1968 How to Steal the World Alice Garrow
1969 The Great Bank Robbery Mrs. Applebee [6]
1983 The Returning Grace
1984 Death Mask Beatrice VandenBerg

Selected television appearances

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Year Title Role Notes
1961–1962 Father of the Bride Ellie Banks TV series main cast; 34 episodes
1964 Perry Mason Mrs. Winlock Season 8 Episode 13: "The Case of the Blonde Bonanza": [6]
1965 Gunsmoke Clara Benteen Season 11 Episode 2: "The Storm"
1965–1969 Peyton Place Hannah Cord 88 episodes
1968 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Alice Garrow Season 4 Episode 15: "The Seven Wonders of the World: Part I"
1970–2005 All My Children Phoebe Tyler Wallingford 511 episodes

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Carr, David (January 18, 2005). "Ruth Warrick, Veteran Film and TV Star, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Brady, Frank (1989). Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 0-385-26759-2.
  3. ^ "Interview: Ruth Warrick". Archive of American Television. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  4. ^ "The Mercury Theatre". RadioGOLDINdex. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  5. ^ "1941 Orson Welles Show". Internet Archive. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Ruth Warrick". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  7. ^ Butler, Desmond. "'All My Children' star Ruth Warrick dies". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press.
  8. ^ Brummer, Justin. "Vietnam War: Kent / Jackson State Songs". RYM. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  9. ^ "Film, Television and Stage Legend Ruth Warrick, Star of 'All My Children' and 'Citizen Kane,' Dies at 88". The Futon Critic/ABC. January 18, 2005. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "All My Children Recaps: The week of May 2, 2005 on AMC". soapcentral.com.
  11. ^ Profile, dawsonandnye.com; accessed March 29, 2015.
  12. ^ Welles, Orson; Bogdanovich, Peter; Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1992). This is Orson Welles. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-016616-9.
  13. ^ "Arch of Triumph". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
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