Hussey, Ruth (1914—)

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Hussey, Ruth (1914—)

American actress, nominated for an Academy Award for her work in The Philadelphia Story. Name variations: from age 17 until she began acting in movies, used her stepfather's name O'Rourke. Born on October 30, 1914, in Providence, Rhode Island; daughter of George and Julia Hussey: graduated from Classical and Technical High School, Providence, Rhode Island; attended Pembroke Women's College (later Brown University); attended University of Michigan; married Robert Longenecker (talent agent and television executive), on August 9, 1942; children: two sons, one daughter.

Selected theater:

made professional debut as Kay in the touring company of Dead End (1937); made New York City debut as Mary Mathews in State of the Union (Hudson Theater, November 1945); replaced Madeleine Carroll as Agatha Reed in Goodbye, My Fancy (Morosco Theater, November 1948); portrayed Julie Cavendish in The Royal Family (New York City Center, January 1951).

Selected filmography:

The Big City (1937); Madame X (1937); Judge Hardy's Children (1938); Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938); Spring Madness (1938); Honolulu (1939); Within the Law (1939); Maisie (1939); Blackmail (1939); The Women (1939); Fast and Furious (19139); Another Thin Man (1939); Northwest Passage (1940); Susan and God (1940);

The Philadelphia Story (1940); Flight Command (1941); Free and Easy (1941); Married Bachelor (1941); H. M. Pulham, Esq. (1941); Pierre of the Plains (1942); Tennessee Johnson (1943); Tender Comrade (1944); The Uninvited (1944); Marine Raiders (1944); Bedside Manner (1945); I, Jane Doe (1948); The Great Gatsby (1949); Louisa (1950); Mr. Musica (1950); That's My Boy (1951); Stars and Stripes Forever (1952); The Lady Wants Mink (1953); The Facts of Life (1960).

Born in 1914, Ruth Hussey studied theater in college and was a fashion commentator on the radio in her hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, before heading to New York to pursue a stage career. She supported herself as a Powers model before landing the role of Kay in a touring company of Dead End (1937). An MGM talent scout saw her perform in Los Angeles, and although she had not considered the movies, Hussey tested for the studio and won a five-year contract. She had only small roles in her first few films, but by the 1940s had established herself as a second lead, usually playing sophisticated, worldly women. Of her 38 or so film roles, her best was the brittle magazine photographer in The Philadelphia Story (1940), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. Notable among her other films wereH.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), The Uninvited (1944), and The Great Gatsby (1949).

Hussey returned to the Broadway stage in 1945, receiving excellent reviews for her performance as the female lead in State of the Union, opposite Ralph Bellamy. Three years later, she replaced Madeleine Carroll in Goodbye, My Fancy, and in 1951, she starred as Julie Cavendish in the City Center's production of The Royal Family. She appeared in films sporadically in the 1950s and also starred on television in such shows as "Climax," "Studio One," and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." She won an Emmy nomination in 1955 for her performance in the title role of Craig's Wife ("Lux Video Theater"). During the 1970s, she was seen in "Marcus Welby, M.D." and "The New Perry Mason."

Hussey, who married television executive Robert Longenecker in 1942, had three children. After the mid-1950s, she spent less time on her acting career and admitted that, although she enjoyed working in films, she never had a lot of actor friends. "My real pals," she said, "were in the make-up department."