Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American actress, best known for her comedic roles as working-class characters and her strong New York accent. She received six Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress—more than any other actress in history —and won one Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Thelma was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1902, the first child of Charles and Lucy Ritter, both natives of the United States. According to the New York State Census of 1905, her father at that time was a bookkeeper. Thelma's acting career began as a teenager, when she appeared in high-school plays and stock companies. She later received formal training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Although she subsequently struggled to establish a stage career, Ritter decided to take a hiatus from acting to raise her two children—Monica and Joe—by her husband Joseph Moran (whom she married in 1927), who was also an actor, but changed professions in the mid-1930s, opting to become an agent and then an advertising executive.
Ritter did stock theater and radio shows early in her career. Her Broadway credits include UTBU (1965), New Girl in Town (1956), In Times Square (1931), and The Shelf (1926).
Ritter's first movie role was in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). She made a memorable impression in a brief uncredited part, as a frustrated mother unable to find the toy that Kris Kringle has promised her son. Her second role, in writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's A Letter to Three Wives (1949), left a mark, although Ritter was again uncredited. Mankiewicz kept Ritter in mind, and cast her as Birdie in All About Eve (1950), which earned her an Oscar nomination. A second nomination followed for her work in Mitchell Leisen's' ensemble screwball comedy The Mating Season (1951) starring Gene Tierney and John Lund. She enjoyed steady film work for the next dozen years.
She appeared in many of the episodic drama TV series of the 1950s, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, General Electric Theater, and The United States Steel Hour. Other film roles were as James Stewart's nurse in Rear Window (1954) and as Doris Day's maid in Pillow Talk (1959). Although best known for comedy roles, she played the occasional dramatic role, most notably in With a Song in My Heart (1952), Pickup on South Street (1953), Titanic (1953), The Misfits (1961), and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), for which she received her final Oscar nomination.
Her last work was an appearance on The Jerry Lewis Show on January 23, 1968. Ritter died of a heart attack in New York City, nine days before her 67th birthday.
During her career, Ritter was nominated for an Oscar six times, giving her the distinction of being one of the three actresses (tied with Deborah Kerr and Glenn Close) most nominated for the award in an acting category without a win. The current record for all actors is Peter O'Toole with eight nominations without a win, followed by Richard Burton with seven nominations. Both Kerr and O'Toole received honorary awards from the Academy, however. In 1954, Thelma Ritter co-hosted the Oscar ceremony, notably trading wisecracks with Bob Hope.
Academy Awards
Nominated Best Actress in a Supporting Role for:
All About Eve (1950)
The Mating Season (1951)
With a Song in My Heart (1952)
Pickup on South Street (1953)
Pillow Talk (1959)
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Emmy Awards
Nominated for an Emmy (in 1956), as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the Goodyear Television Playhouse production of The Catered Affair.
Golden Globe Awards
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for:
All About Eve (1950)
The Mating Season (1951)
Boeing Boeing (1965)
Tony Awards
Awarded Best Actress in a Musical (1957) for New Girl in Town in a rare tie (with her co-star, Gwen Verdon).
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1947 Miracle on 34th Street Peter's Mother Uncredited
1948 Call Northside 777 Receptionist Uncredited
1949 A Letter to Three Wives Sadie Dugan Uncredited
City Across the River Mrs. Katie Cusack
Father Was a Fullback Geraldine
1950 Perfect Strangers Lena Fassler
I'll Get By Miss Murphy
All About Eve Birdie Coonan Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
1951 The Mating Season Ellen McNulty Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
As Young as You Feel Della Hodges
The Model and the Marriage Broker Mae Swasey
1952 With a Song in My Heart Clancy Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1953 Titanic Maude Young
Pickup on South Street Moe Williams Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Farmer Takes a Wife Lucy Cashdollar
1954 Rear Window Stella
Lux Video Theatre Lux Video Theatre Guest episode: Christmas in July
1955 The Best of Broadway Mrs. Fisher episode: The Show-Off
Daddy Long Legs Alicia Pritchard
Lucy Gallant Molly Basserman
The 20th Century Fox Hour Abby episode: Christopher Bean
Goodyear Television Playhouse Aggie Hurley episode: The Catered Affair
Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1956 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Lottie Slocum episode: The Baby Sitter
The Proud and Profane Kate Connors
1957 Telephone Time Mary Devlin episode: Plot to Save a Boy
The United States Steel Hour Ma Garfield episode: The Human Pattern
1959 A Hole in the Head Sophie Manetta
Pillow Talk Alma Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (2nd place)
Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1960 G.E. True Theatre Doris Green episode: Sarah's Laughter
Startime Mrs. Gillis episode: The Man
1961 The Misfits Isabelle Steers
Frontier Circus Bertha Marie Beecher episode: Journey from Hannibal
The Second Time Around Aggie Gates Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (3rd place)
1962 Birdman of Alcatraz Elizabeth Stroud Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (3rd place)
Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Wagon Train Madame Sagittarius episode: The Madame Sagittarius Story
How the West Was Won Agatha Clegg
1963 For Love or Money Chloe Brasher
A New Kind of Love Leena Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (3rd place)
Move Over, Darling Grace Arden
1965 Boeing Boeing Bertha Laurel Award for Top Supporting Performance, Female (2nd place)
Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
1967 The Incident Bertha Beckerman
1968 What's So Bad About Feeling Good? Mrs. Schwartz (final film role)
Amanda S. Stevenson 
