Ruth Chatterton
| Ruth Chatterton | |
|---|---|
pictured in 1931
|
|
| Born |
December 24, 1892 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 24, 1961 (aged 68) Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cerebral hemorrhage |
| Resting place | Beechwoods Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actress, novelist |
| Years active | 1908–1953 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ralph Forbes (m. 1924; div. 1932) George Brent (m. 1932; div. 1934) Barry Thomson (m. 1942; d. 1960) |
Ruth Chatterton (December 24, 1892 – November 24, 1961) was an American stage, film and television actress. In the late 1930s, Chatterton retired from film acting but continued her career on the stage. She later became a successful novelist and early aviator. Chatterton briefly returned to screen acting in the 1950s before her death of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1961.
Chatterton was born in New York City on Christmas Eve 1892 to Walter, an architect, and Lillian (née Reed) Chatterton. She was of English and French extraction. Her parents separated while she was still quite young. Chatterton attended Mrs. Hagen's School in Pelham, New York.
In 1908, Chatterton and her friends were attending a play in Washington, D.C. Chatterton later criticized the acting of the lead actress to her friends who challenged her to become a stage actress herself or "shut up". Chatterton accepted the challenge and, a few days later, joined the chorus of the stage show. She soon dropped out of school to further pursue a stage career. Aged 16, Chatterton joined the Friend Stock Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she remained for six months.
In 1911, Chatterton made her Broadway stage debut in The Great Name. Her greatest success onstage came in 1914 when she starred in the play Daddy Long Legs, adapted from the novel by Jean Webster.
In 1924, Chatterton and her first husband, actor Ralph Forbes, moved to Los Angeles. With the help of Emil Jannings, she was cast in her first film role in Sins of the Fathers in 1928. That same year, she was signed to a contract by Paramount Pictures. Chatterton's first film for Paramount was also her first sound film, The Doctor's Secret, released in 1929. Chatterton was able to make the transition from silents to sound because of her stage experience.
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