Next person biography:
Ruth Thane Shoecraft McDevitt was born on September 13, 1895, in Michigan, but raised in Ohio, where her father served as a county sheriff. Her parents, both musicians, encouraged her to perform. She graduated from Wooster University in Ohio and later studied drama at the Toledo Dramatic Academy.
Ruth attended the American Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA) with strong designs on a New York career, but instead married a Florida widower, Patrick McDevitt, a contractor, and decided to focus on domestic life. After her husband's passing in 1934, Ruth decided to pursue her acting career again, attending community theater plays.
Ruth eventually found herself in New York and became a viable presence on Broadway and radio in the 1930s and 1940s, appearing in several plays and earning excellent notices for her performances. She replaced star Josephine Hull in the Broadway comedies "Arsenic and Old Lace" and "The Solid Gold Cadillac."
Ruth's TV and film career took off in the 1950s, with appearances on popular anthology series and sitcoms, including "Mister Peepers" and "The Best Man." She continued to work in television and film throughout the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in a range of roles, from comedy to drama.
Ruth died of natural causes at the age of 80 on May 27, 1976, in Los Angeles.
