Ruth Duccini
| Ruth Duccini | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Ruth L. Robinson July 23, 1918 Rush City, Minnesota |
| Died | January 16, 2014 (aged 95) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Occupation | Actress; riveter |
| Years active | 1939, 1981 |
| Known for | Last surviving female Munchkin from 1939 film The Wizard of Oz; penultimate surviving Munchkin |
| Spouse(s) | Fred Duccini (1943–1994; his death) |
Ruth L. Duccini (née Robinson; July 23, 1918 – January 16, 2014) was an American actress, with dwarfism, who became the penultimate surviving Munchkin from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Her role in the film as a Munchkin villager was not credited. Her most recent appearances were when she and the other surviving Munchkins were presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 21, 2007, and attending the premiere of the film's 75th anniversary at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. She also was seen in Under the Rainbow (1981) and Memories of Oz (2001).
While Duccini could not recall in 2013 what she earned filming Oz, the Munchkin village actors were paid $125 a week during filming ($2127 adjusted for inflation). She said of her World War II work: "The one thing that I'm most proud of, during the Second World War, I worked on airplanes in a defense plant. I was a Rosie the Riveter. I'm really proud of that."
Duccini made the news again when Baroness Thatcher died, and critics of the former British premier tried to propel "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" onto the chart to celebrate her passing. Duccini and Jerry Maren (who would become the last surviving Munchkin) said it was "'terrible' that the song had been hijacked", insisting the song was never to be used in such a way.
Duccini died of natural causes in Las Vegas, aged 95, on January 16, 2014. Since Duccini's death, only the following actors who appeared in the film — Jerry Maren, a member of the trio lollipop guild, Shep Houghton (uncredited) and Caren Marsh Doll (uncredited)— have been confirmed as still alive as of January 2017.
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