People named Ruth Draper

Ruth Draper Born December 2, 1884 New York City, New York, United States Died December 30, 1956 (aged 72) New York City, New York, United States Occupation Stage actress Ruth Draper (December 2, 1884 – December 30, 1956) was an American actress, dramatist and noted diseuse who specialized in character-driven monologues and monodrama. Her best-known pieces include The Italian Lesson, Three Women and Mr. Clifford, Doctors and Diets, and A Church in Italy. Early life and family Ruth Draper was born in New York City, the youngest child of Dr. William Henry and Ruth (née Dana) Draper. Her father, who was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, had the affluence to support a large family with the help of several servants. Ruth Draper's mother was the daughter of Charles Anderson Dana, editor and publisher of The New York Sun and had married Dr. Draper in 1878 some years after the loss of his first wife, Lucy. Her nephew, Paul Draper, was a noted dancer and actor. Draper's second cousin was the society architect Paul Phipps, father of British actress Joyce Grenfell (Grenfell's career as a monologist was directly inspired by Draper). Her nephew Raimund Sanders Draper was a heroic WWII pilot. Career Ruth Draper's inspiration to become an actress came from the Polish pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a friend of her family. She made her Broadway debut in the 1916 play A Lady's Name by Cyril Harcourt, and by 1921 was becoming well known as monologist, or more specifically diseuse, appearing in monodramas. Thus, Draper dominated the field of professional solo performance during the second quarter of the twentieth century, performing with great success throughout the United States and Europe. Draper's one-person shows differed in kind from the majority of the early lyceum and Chautauqua solo performers coming before her, as the monologues/monodramas she performed were original characters as opposed to selections of published literature. With a chair, shawl and occasional table as her only props, Draper entertained audiences in a half dozen languages worldwide for nearly forty years. Her best-known pieces include The Italian Lesson, Three Women and Mr. Clifford, Doctors and Diets, and A Church in Italy. Ruth Draper as a Dalmatian Peasant by John Singer Sargent Such theatre legends as George Bernard Shaw, Thornton Wilder, John Gielgud, Katharine Hepburn, Maurice Chevalier, Laurence Olivier, and Uta Hagen were among those dazzled by Draper's artistry and talent, as were authors Henry James, Henry Adams, Edith Wharton and Agatha Christie. Draper inspired characters in two of Christie's works — Carlotta Adams in the 1933 novel Lord Edgware Dies,[11] and Aspasia Glen in the short story "The Dead Harlequin". In 1951 King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded Ruth Draper honorary membership in the Order of the British Empire with the rank of Commander (CBE). On April 29, 1953, she had lunch with C. S. Lewis the day after he saw her performance at the New Theatre in Oxford. Nearly a quarter century earlier she gave a performance at Windsor Castle after an invitation from King George V and Queen Mary. Draper had many relationships in Italy, in large part through her connection with Lauro De Bosis, a young Italian poet and writer who died in 1931 after a daring flight over Rome during which he threw thousands of leaflets denouncing Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party. Death Ruth Draper died on December 30, 1956, of an apparent heart attack, just hours after giving a performance on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre. Draper's family had a summer home in Islesboro, Maine, which she purchased from her family and where she spent increasing amounts of time in her later years. A short biography of Draper is among several collected by the Anglo-Italian writer Iris Origo in her 1984 book, A Need to Testify. Recordings Recordings of Draper's monologues have influenced many contemporary writers and performers, including Joyce Grenfell, Lily Tomlin, Mike Nichols, Julie Harris, Simon Callow, Emma Thompson, Charles Busch, David Mamet, Julia Sweeney, Annette Bening, Maureen Lipman and John Lithgow. Awards and honors In 2019, the "Complete recorded monologues, Ruth Draper (1954-1956)" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Ruth Draper was born on June 1, 1891, and died at age 86 years old in January 1978. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Ruth Draper.

Ruth E Draper of Concord, Contra Costa County, California was born on November 3, 1917, and died at age 90 years old on July 18, 2008.

Ruth Draper of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA was born on February 12, 1915, and died at age 79 years old on January 27, 1995.

Ruth Draper of Hoodsport, Mason County, Washington was born on April 7, 1893, and died at age 84 years old in November 1977.

Ruth L Draper of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, CA was born on June 21, 1920, and died at age 77 years old on February 18, 1998.

Ruth S Draper of Nyssa, Malheur County, OR was born on May 8, 1915, and died at age 80 years old on November 16, 1995.

Ruth Draper of Riverton, Fremont County, Wyoming was born on March 25, 1896, and died at age 77 years old in October 1973.

Ruth H Draper was born on July 22, 1905, and died at age 85 years old on June 13, 1991. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Ruth H Draper.

Ruth E Draper was born on January 15, 1901, and died at age 90 years old on February 5, 1991. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Ruth E Draper.

Ruth T Draper of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UT was born on September 26, 1915, and died at age 80 years old on September 8, 1996.

Ruth Draper of Logan, Cache County, UT was born on July 11, 1919, and died at age 78 years old on August 11, 1997.

Ruth Draper of Glendale, Maricopa County, Arizona was born on August 14, 1906, and died at age 79 years old in January 1986.

Ruth Draper of Boise, Ada County, Idaho was born on November 23, 1914, and died at age 65 years old in February 1980.

Ruth A Draper of Golden, Jefferson County, CO was born on January 16, 1925, and died at age 72 years old on September 28, 1997.

Ruth Draper of Jamestown, Tuolumne County, California was born on May 27, 1900, and died at age 71 years old in November 1971.

Ruth V Draper of Cozad, Dawson County, NE was born on August 30, 1908, and died at age 79 years old on December 12, 1987.

Ruth L Draper of Perry, Dallas County, IA was born on July 24, 1921, and died at age 86 years old on July 11, 2008.

Ruth A Draper of Montezuma, Poweshiek County, IA was born on January 2, 1913, and died at age 81 years old on January 23, 1994.

Ruth A Draper of Red Oak, Montgomery County, IA was born on March 19, 1916, and died at age 91 years old on January 12, 2008.

Ruth Draper was born on August 8, 1945, and died at age 25 years old in August 1970. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Ruth Draper.

Ruth D Draper of Midland, Midland County, TX was born on January 25, 1917, and died at age 81 years old on July 1, 1998.

Ruth E Draper of Dallas, Dallas County, TX was born on December 2, 1905, and died at age 94 years old on January 31, 2000.

Ruth Draper of Clifton, Bosque County, Texas was born on May 20, 1892, and died at age 91 years old in February 1984.

Ruth A Draper of Midland, Midland County, TX was born on April 2, 1916, and died at age 88 years old on June 28, 2004.

Ruth Draper of Uvalde, Uvalde County, Texas was born on December 21, 1903, and died at age 81 years old in February 1985.

Ruth Draper of Montgomery, Kendall County, IL was born on April 26, 1923, and died at age 79 years old on December 5, 2002.

Ruth Draper of Saint Louis, Saint Louis City County, Missouri was born on February 22, 1919, and died at age 58 years old in March 1977.

Ruth Draper of Carthage, Leake County, MS was born on October 10, 1901, and died at age 89 years old in November 1990.