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
Where the Sidewalk Ends
(1950)
Martha
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Mabel Dawson
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Emma Hopper
The Bells of St. Mary's
(1945)
Sister Michael
My Little Chickadee
(1940)
Aunt Lou
Footlight Parade
(1933)
Mrs. Harriet Gould
The Snake Pit
(1948)
Ruth
Little Miss Broadway
(1947)
Minerva Van Dorn
Full Filmography
Acting
Rubber Heels
(1927)
Fanny Pratt
The Spider
(1931)
Mrs. Wimbledon
Wicked
(1931)
Fanny
Jewel Robbery
(1932)
Berta, Teri's Maid (uncredited)
Make Me a Star
(1932)
The Countess
The Rainbow Trail
(1932)
Widow Abigail
Blessed Event
(1932)
Miss Stevens
Footlight Parade
(1933)
Mrs. Harriet Gould
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
(1933)
Ladies They Talk About
(1933)
Noonan
Convention City
(1933)
Mrs. Ellerbe
Hard to Handle
(1933)
Lil Waters
Employees' Entrance
(1933)
Miss Hall, Anderson's secretary
Sing, Sinner, Sing
(1933)
Margaret 'Maggie' Flannigan
Goodbye Again
(1933)
Richview Hotel Maid
Havana Widows
(1933)
Mrs. Emily Jones
Ever in My Heart
(1933)
Lizzie
Lilly Turner
(1933)
Edna Yokum
Female
(1933)
Miss Frothingham
Private Detective 62
(1933)
Amy Moran
Just Around the Corner
(1933)
Mrs. Sears
Bureau of Missing Persons
(1933)
Gwendolyn 'Pete' Harris
Merry Wives of Reno
(1934)
Lois
Housewife
(1934)
Dora Wilson
Wonder Bar
(1934)
Emma Simpson
Romance in the Rain
(1934)
Miss Sparks
Happiness Ahead
(1934)
Anna
Heat Lightning
(1934)
Mrs. Ashton-Ashley
Mandalay
(1934)
Mrs. George Peters
Traveling Saleslady
(1935)
Mrs. Twitchell
Alibi Ike
(1935)
Bess
Red Salute
(1935)
Mrs. Edith Rooney
Hands Across the Table
(1935)
Laura
The White Cockatoo
(1935)
Mrs. Byng
Maybe It's Love
(1935)
Florrie Sands
Personal Maid's Secret
(1935)
Lizzie
Behind the Scenes of Cain and Mabel
(1936)
Self
More Than a Secretary
(1936)
Helen Davis
Cain and Mabel
(1936)
Aunt Mimi
13 Hours by Air
(1936)
Vi Johnson
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
Mabel Dawson
Song and Dance Man
(1936)
Patsy O'Madigan
Fatal Lady
(1936)
Melba York
Roaring Timber
(1937)
Aunt Mary
Portia on Trial
(1937)
Jane Wilkins
Army Girl
(1938)
Leila Kennett
A Slight Case of Murder
(1938)
Nora Marko
Meet the Girls
(1938)
Daisy Watson
Annabel Takes a Tour
(1938)
Josephine
The Affairs of Annabel
(1938)
Josephine
Personal Secretary
(1938)
Grumpy
The Amazing Mr. Williams
(1939)
Effie Perkins
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
Emma Hopper
The Family Next Door
(1939)
Mrs. Rose Pierce
My Little Chickadee
(1940)
Aunt Lou
Meet the Missus
(1940)
Lil Higgins
Scatterbrain
(1940)
Miss Stevens
You Belong to Me
(1941)
Emma
Rise and Shine
(1941)
Mame Bacon
Petticoat Politics
(1941)
Lil Higgins
The Roundup
(1941)
Polly Hope
Model Wife
(1941)
Mrs. Milo Everett
Sailors on Leave
(1941)
Aunt Navy
The Gay Vagabond
(1941)
Kate Dixon
Johnny Doughboy
(1942)
Biggy Biggsworth
Sleepy Lagoon
(1943)
Sarah Rogers
This Is the Army
(1943)
Mrs. O'Brien
Thank Your Lucky Stars
(1943)
Nurse Hamilton
Breakdowns of 1944
(1944)
Self
Pillow to Post
(1945)
Mrs. Grace Wingate
The Bells of St. Mary's
(1945)
Sister Michael
Cinderella Jones
(1946)
Cora Elliot
Cross My Heart
(1946)
Eve Harper
In Old Sacramento
(1946)
Zebby Booker
The Fabulous Texan
(1947)
Utopia Mills
The Ghost Goes Wild
(1947)
Aunt Susan Beecher
Millie's Daughter
(1947)
Helen Reilly
Little Miss Broadway
(1947)
Minerva Van Dorn
Fighting Father Dunne
(1948)
Kate Mulvey
The Snake Pit
(1948)
Ruth
Where the Sidewalk Ends
(1950)
Martha
The Wild Blue Yonder
(1951)
Maj. Ida Winton
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain
(1951)
Glory White
The Secret of Convict Lake
(1951)
Mary Fancher
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)