Alice Drummond

Alice Elizabeth Drummond (née Ruyter; May 21, 1928 – November 30, 2016) was an American actress born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The daughter of Sarah Irene (née Alker), a secretary, and Arthur Ruyter, an auto mechanic, she graduated from Pembroke College, the women's college of Brown University, in 1950. In 1951 she married Paul Drummond; the couple resided in Manhattan and separated in 1975, divorcing the following year. Drummond died on November 30, 2016, from complications of a fall at her home in the Bronx, New York City, at the age of 88.

Drummond's Broadway career spanned from 1959 to 1983 and encompassed productions including You Can't Take It With You, Some of My Best Friends, Boy Meets Girl, Secret Service, and 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, among others. Her performance in The Chinese by Murray Schisgal, in which she played Mrs. Lee, earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1970. She received an additional Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play in 1976.

Beyond the stage, Drummond built a substantial television career. She portrayed Nurse Jackson on the series Dark Shadows in 1967 and originated the role of Loretta Jardin on the CBS soap opera Where the Heart Is, remaining with the show until it concluded in 1973. She also appeared in a short-term role on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns and made guest appearances on Kate & Allie, Law & Order, Boston Legal, and Yes, Dear.

In film, Drummond is perhaps most widely recognized for playing Alice, a librarian terrorized by a poltergeist, in the opening sequence of the 1984 horror-comedy Ghostbusters. She went on to portray a catatonic patient named Lucy in the 1990 film Awakenings and appeared in additional features including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar, Pieces of April, and Furry Vengeance.