From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Ruth Donnelly (May 17, 1896 – November 17, 1982) was an American stage and film actress. Her father was the mayor of Trenton, New Jersey.
She began her stage career at the age of 17 in 1913, in The Quaker Girl. Her Broadway debut brought her to the attention of George M. Cohan, who proceeded to cast her in numerous comic-relief roles in such musicals as Going Up (1917). Though she made her first film appearance in 1913, her Hollywood career began in earnest in 1931 and lasted until 1957. In her films she often played the wife of Guy Kibbee (Footlight Parade, Wonder Bar, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). Among her roles was the part of Sister Michael in The Bells of St. Mary's, starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman.
Known For
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Emma Hopper
Footlight Parade
(1933)
Mrs. Harriet Gould
Where the Sidewalk Ends
(1950)
Martha
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Mabel Dawson
Alibi Ike
(1935)
Bess
Havana Widows
(1933)
Mrs. Emily Jones
The Bells of St. Mary's
(1945)
Sister Michael
This Is the Army
(1943)
Mrs. O'Brien
Full Filmography
Acting
Rubber Heels
(1927)
Fanny Pratt
The Spider
(1931)
Mrs. Wimbledon
Wicked
(1931)
Fanny
Blessed Event
(1932)
Miss Stevens
Make Me a Star
(1932)
The Countess
The Rainbow Trail
(1932)
Widow Abigail
Jewel Robbery
(1932)
Berta, Teri's Maid (uncredited)
Footlight Parade
(1933)
Mrs. Harriet Gould
Employees' Entrance
(1933)
Miss Hall, Anderson's secretary
Private Detective 62
(1933)
Amy Moran
Female
(1933)
Miss Frothingham
Lilly Turner
(1933)
Edna Yokum
Ever in My Heart
(1933)
Lizzie
Sing, Sinner, Sing
(1933)
Margaret 'Maggie' Flannigan
Just Around the Corner
(1933)
Mrs. Sears
Goodbye Again
(1933)
Richview Hotel Maid
Havana Widows
(1933)
Mrs. Emily Jones
Convention City
(1933)
Mrs. Ellerbe
Hard to Handle
(1933)
Lil Waters
Ladies They Talk About
(1933)
Noonan
Bureau of Missing Persons
(1933)
Gwendolyn 'Pete' Harris
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
(1933)
Merry Wives of Reno
(1934)
Lois
Wonder Bar
(1934)
Emma Simpson
Housewife
(1934)
Dora Wilson
Mandalay
(1934)
Mrs. George Peters
Happiness Ahead
(1934)
Anna
Heat Lightning
(1934)
Mrs. Ashton-Ashley
Romance in the Rain
(1934)
Miss Sparks
Hands Across the Table
(1935)
Laura
Alibi Ike
(1935)
Bess
Personal Maid's Secret
(1935)
Lizzie
Maybe It's Love
(1935)
Florrie Sands
The White Cockatoo
(1935)
Mrs. Byng
Traveling Saleslady
(1935)
Mrs. Twitchell
Red Salute
(1935)
Mrs. Edith Rooney
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Mabel Dawson
Cain and Mabel
(1936)
Aunt Mimi
13 Hours by Air
(1936)
Vi Johnson
More Than a Secretary
(1936)
Helen Davis
Fatal Lady
(1936)
Melba York
Song and Dance Man
(1936)
Patsy O'Madigan
Behind the Scenes of Cain and Mabel
(1936)
Self
Portia on Trial
(1937)
Jane Wilkins
Roaring Timber
(1937)
Aunt Mary
A Slight Case of Murder
(1938)
Nora Marko
Army Girl
(1938)
Leila Kennett
Personal Secretary
(1938)
Grumpy
Annabel Takes a Tour
(1938)
Josephine
The Affairs of Annabel
(1938)
Josephine
Meet the Girls
(1938)
Daisy Watson
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Emma Hopper
The Amazing Mr. Williams
(1939)
Effie Perkins
The Family Next Door
(1939)
Mrs. Rose Pierce
My Little Chickadee
(1940)
Aunt Lou
Scatterbrain
(1940)
Miss Stevens
Meet the Missus
(1940)
Lil Higgins
You Belong to Me
(1941)
Emma
The Gay Vagabond
(1941)
Kate Dixon
Sailors on Leave
(1941)
Aunt Navy
The Roundup
(1941)
Polly Hope
Model Wife
(1941)
Mrs. Milo Everett
Rise and Shine
(1941)
Mame Bacon
Petticoat Politics
(1941)
Lil Higgins
Johnny Doughboy
(1942)
Biggy Biggsworth
This Is the Army
(1943)
Mrs. O'Brien
Sleepy Lagoon
(1943)
Sarah Rogers
Thank Your Lucky Stars
(1943)
Nurse Hamilton
Breakdowns of 1944
(1944)
Self
The Bells of St. Mary's
(1945)
Sister Michael
Pillow to Post
(1945)
Mrs. Grace Wingate
Cross My Heart
(1946)
Eve Harper
Cinderella Jones
(1946)
Cora Elliot
In Old Sacramento
(1946)
Zebby Booker
The Ghost Goes Wild
(1947)
Aunt Susan Beecher
The Fabulous Texan
(1947)
Utopia Mills
Little Miss Broadway
(1947)
Minerva Van Dorn
Millie's Daughter
(1947)
Helen Reilly
The Snake Pit
(1948)
Ruth
Fighting Father Dunne
(1948)
Kate Mulvey
Where the Sidewalk Ends
(1950)
Martha
The Secret of Convict Lake
(1951)
Mary Fancher
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain
(1951)
Glory White
The Wild Blue Yonder
(1951)
Maj. Ida Winton
A Lawless Street
(1955)
Molly Higgins
The Spoilers
(1955)
Duchess
Autumn Leaves
(1956)
Liz Eckhart
The Way to the Gold
(1957)
Mrs. Williams
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
(1983)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)