Ruth Attaway
American actress (1910–1987) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ruth Attaway (June 28, 1910 – September 21, 1987) was an American film and stage actress. Among the films she appeared in are Raintree County (1957), Porgy and Bess (1959) and Being There (1979).[1]
Ruth Attaway | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 28, 1910 Greenville, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | September 21, 1987 (aged 77) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, social worker |
| Years active | 1936–1979 |
| Spouse |
Allan Morrison (died 1968) |
Early life
Attaway was born on June 28, 1910, in Greenville, Mississippi.[1][2][3][4] She was the daughter of physician W.A. Attaway, PhD.[5] Her siblings included a sister, Florence,[1] and a brother, novelist and writer William.[6][7] She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where she majored in sociology.[1][3][8]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
Theatre work
Attaway made her Broadway debut in 1936 in the Pulitzer Prize winning play, You Can't Take It with You.[1][9]
Attaway was the first director of the New York Players Guild, a black repertory theater company formed in New York in 1945.[1][3]
From 1954 to 1955, Attaway portrayed Anna Hicks in the play Mrs. Patterson at the National Theater.[10][11][12]
From 1964 to 1967, Attaway was with the Repertory Society of Lincoln Center.[1]
Film work
Attaway made her film debut by portraying Moll in The President's Lady (1953), opposite Susan Hayward and Charlton Heston.[8][13] She went on to play a variety of characters in film such as Philomena in The Young Don't Cry (1957),[14] Serena in Porgy and Bess (1959), Edna in Conrack (1974) and Louise in Being There (1979).[15]
Television work
In 1954, Attaway was within the cast of an unaired pilot titled Three's Company.[16]
She also played Delia in the 1978 television movie, The Bermuda Depths.[17]
Other ventures
In addition to acting, Attaway was also trained as a social worker[18][19] and, between acting jobs, worked with the American Red Cross, the New York State Department of Social Welfare and New York's Metropolitan Hospital.[1][3]
Honors
On November 10, 1953, Attaway was one of three people cited by the Coordinating Council For Negro Performers at a special benefit in Harlem.[20]
Personal life and death
Attaway was married to Allan Morrison, an editor of Ebony.[8][21] He died on May 29, 1968, at the age of 51.[22]
Attaway died on September 21, 1987, in New York Hospital of injuries resulting from a Manhattan apartment fire.[1][23] She was 77 years old.[1]
Partial filmography
- The President's Lady (1953) - Moll
- The Young Don't Cry (1957) - Philomena
- Raintree County (1957) - Parthenia (uncredited)
- Porgy and Bess (1959) - Serena Robbins
- Terror in the City (1964) - Farmer's Wife
- Conrack (1974) - Edna
- The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) - Mayor's Nurse
- The Bermuda Depths (1978) - Delia
- Being There (1979) - Louise (final film role)
References
External links
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