Ruth Dunning | |
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| Born | Mary Ruth Dunning (1909-05-17)17 May 1909 Prestatyn,North Wales, UK |
| Died | 27 February 1983(1983-02-27) (aged 73)[1] London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | Jack Allen |
Ruth Dunning (17 May 1909 – 27 February 1983), bornMary Ruth Dunning, was a Welsh actress of stage, television, and film. Although her year of birth was long given as 1911, her birth was registered inHolywell in 1909.[1]
Mary Ruth Dunning was born inPrestatyn,Denbighshire, in 1909.[1]
As a young actress, Dunning was a member of an amateur theatre company inAltrincham. In 1934, she took over a part fromWendy Hiller inLove on the Dole, at theGarrick Theatre in London.[2] Other stage appearances for Dunning includedVal Gielgud'sPunch and Judy (1937),[3]A. A. Milne'sGentleman Unknown (1938),[4]Ted Willis'The Eyes of Youth (1959),[5] and Willis' adaptation ofGorky'sMother (1961).[6]
Dunning found fame in the role of Gladys Grove inBBC Television'sThe Grove Family (1954–1957), also portraying that character in the 1955 filmIt's a Great Day.[7] In 1956, she appeared in a television commercial forPersil laundry detergent, on the first night ofGranada Television's broadcasts in the north of England.[8][9] In 1962 she was awarded theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her work onArmchair Theatre.[10]
Other screen roles played by Dunning included Leonie inIntimate Relations (1953), Auntie B. inUrge to Kill (1960), Mrs. Mitchell inHoffman (1970), Betty Atherton inThe Sextet (1972), Agnes Henderson inThe House in Nightmare Park (1973), Miss Minchin inA Little Princess (1973), Mildred Finch inAn Unofficial Rose (1974–1975),Lesley Whittle's mother inThe Black Panther (1977), and Mrs. Crabtree inChildren of the Stones (1977).[11]
Ruth Dunning was married to actorJack Allen.[12] She died in 1983, aged 73, in London.
The Ruth Dunning and Jack Allen Collection at theUniversity of Bristol holds some of her papers, including contracts, scripts, and photographs.[13]
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