Ruth Donnelly

Ruth Donnelly (May 17, 1896 – November 17, 1982) was an American actress whose career spanned both stage and screen across several decades. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Harry Augustus and Bessie B. Donnelly. Her uncle, Frederick W. Donnelly, served as the longtime mayor of Trenton, New Jersey. A 1915 article in The Day Book reported that Donnelly had been expelled from Sacred Heart Convent in New Jersey after repeatedly laughing at inappropriate moments.

Donnelly entered the theater at age 17, beginning her stage career in The Quaker Girl. Actress Rose Stahl took her under her wing, providing a year of chorus experience before placing her in the play Maggie Pepper. Her Broadway debut drew the attention of George M. Cohan, who cast her in comic-relief roles in musicals including Going Up in 1917. Her Broadway career extended from 1917 to 1972 and included appearances in the musical No, No, Nanette, The Act, the play She Means Business, and the play So Was Napoleon (Sap from Syracuse).

Although Donnelly made her first film appearance in 1914, her Hollywood career began in earnest in 1931 and continued through 1957. She frequently appeared opposite Guy Kibbee, playing his wife in Footlight Parade, Wonder Bar, Merry Wives of Reno, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. She also took on the role of Sister Michael in The Bells of St. Mary's, the film starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. Years after completing her final film role, Donnelly returned to Broadway as an understudy to Patsy Kelly in the revival of No, No, Nanette, and subsequently joined the touring production of the same show alongside Don Ameche and Evelyn Keyes.

In 1932, Donnelly married Basil Winter de Guichard, an executive at AC Spark Plug, and remained married to him until his death in 1958. Donnelly died at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City on November 17, 1982, at the age of 86.