Ruth Roman (born Norma Roman; December 22, 1922 – September 9, 1999) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. After playing stage roles on the east coast, Roman relocated to Hollywood to pursue a career in films. She appeared in several uncredited bit parts before she was cast as the leading lady in the western '' Harmony Trail'' (1944) and in the title role in the serial film '' Jungle Queen'' (1945), her first credited film performances. Roman first starred in the title role of '' Belle Starr's Daughter'' (1948). She achieved her first notable success with a role in '' The Window'' (1949) and a year later was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress for her performance in ''

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, ...

'' (1949). In the early 1950s, she was under contract to Warner Bros., where she starred in a variety of films, including the

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

thriller '' Strangers on a Train'' (1951). In the mid-1950s, after leaving Warner Bros., Roman continued to star in films and also began playing guest roles for television series. She also worked abroad and made films in England, Italy, and Spain. She was also a passenger aboard the SS ''Andrea Doria'' when it collided with another ship and sank in 1956. In 1959, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in the play '' Two for the Seesaw''. Her numerous television appearances earned her a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

Early life and stage experience

Norma Roman was born in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by Eu ...

, to Lithuanian Jewish parents, Mary Pauline (née Gold) and Abraham "Anthony" Roman. She was renamed "Ruth" when a fortune teller told her mother that "Norma" was an unlucky name. Her mother was a dancer, and her father a barker, in a carnival sideshow that they owned at Revere Beach,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. She had two older sisters, Ann and Eve. Her father died when Ruth was eight, and her mother sold the sideshow. Later, she attended the William Blackstone School and Girls' High School in Boston. She then pursued her desire to become an actress by enrolling in the prestigious Bishop Lee Dramatic School in Boston. After further enhancing her skills performing with the New England Repertory Company and the Elizabeth Peabody Players, Roman moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, where she hoped to find success on Broadway. Instead, she worked as a cigarette girl, a hat check girl, and a model to make a living and save money.

Career

Roman moved to Hollywood, where she obtained bit parts in several films such as '' Stage Door Canteen'' (1943), '' Ladies Courageous'' (1944), '' Since You Went Away'' (1944), ''

Song of Nevada ''Song of Nevada'' is a 1944 American musical Western film directed by Joseph Kane, and starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Plot Rancher John Barrabee is upset his daughter doesn't want to stay in the West; instead, she is a New York City ...

'' (1944), and ''

Storm Over Lisbon ''Storm Over Lisbon'' is a 1944 American thriller film produced and directed by George Sherman and starring Vera Ralston. The screenplay concerns a nightclub owner who attempts to gain secret information. The film's sets were designed by the art ...

'' (1944). She had a featured role in a '' Harmony Trail'' (1944), but continued to be mostly unbilled in films such as '' She Gets Her Man'' (1945). Roman was cast in the title role in the 13-episode serial '' Jungle Queen'' (1945). Her roles, though, remained small in such films as ''

See My Lawyer ''See My Lawyer'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Edmund Hartmann and Stanley Davis. It is based on the 1939 musical ''See My Lawyer'' by Richard Maibaum and Harry Clork. The film stars Ole Olsen, Ch ...

'' (1945), '' The Affairs of Susan'' (1945), '' You Came Along'' (1945), ''

Incendiary Blonde ''Incendiary Blonde'' is a 1945 American musical drama film biography of 1920s nightclub star Texas Guinan. Filmed in Technicolor by director George Marshall and loosely based on a true story, the picture stars actress Betty Hutton as Guinan. The ...

'' (1945), '' Gilda'' (1946), '' Without Reservations'' (1946), '' A Night in Casablanca'' (1946), and '' The Big Clock'' (1948). While waiting for an opportunity in movies, Roman wrote short stories based on her experiences living in a theatrical boarding house. She sold two of them: ''The House of the Seven Garbos'' and ''The Whip Song.'' Roman's career began to improve in the late 1940s when she was cast in a featured role in the 1948 release ''

Good Sam Good Sam may refer to: * ''Good Sam'' (1948 film), an American romantic comedy starring Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan * ''Good Sam'' (2019 film), an American drama starring Tiya Sircar * ''Good Sam'' (TV series), an American medical drama starrin ...

''. The next year, she was chosen for the title role in '' Belle Starr's Daughter'', as a killer in the thriller '' The Window'', and as the wife of the central character in ''

'', starring

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Dou ...

Warner Bros.

In recognition of Roman's rising status as an actress, Warner Bros. signed her to a long-term contract in 1949, casting her first as a supporting player for

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

in ''

Beyond the Forest ''Beyond the Forest'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by King Vidor, and featuring Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, David Brian, and Ruth Roman. The screenplay is written by Lenore Coffee based on a novel by Stuart Engstrand. The film marks Davi ...

'' and then for Milton Berle and Virginia Mayo in '' Always Leave Them Laughing''. The studio in 1950 cast her as the female lead in ''

Barricade Barricade (from the French ''barrique'' - 'barrel') is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction. Adopted as a military term, a barricade denot ...

'' with Dane Clark and '' Colt .45'' with

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

. Warners gave her a starring role in '' Three Secrets'' (1950) with

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films '' Caged'' (1950), '' Detective Story'' (1951), and '' Interrupted Melody'' (1955), the fir ...

and Patricia Neal. She played a distraught mother waiting to learn whether or not her child survived an airplane crash. This was followed by ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'' (1950), wherein she was

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

's leading lady. The May 1, 1950, issue of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazine featured Roman in a cover story "The Rapid Rise of Ruth Roman". Ruth Roman in Strangers on a Train trailer

Roman got top billing in '' Lightning Strikes Twice'' (1951), directed by King Vidor with Richard Todd. She was Farley Granger's love interest in '' Strangers on a Train'' (1951), directed by

. Roman was top-billed as well in the 1951 thriller '' Tomorrow Is Another Day'', co-starring Steve Cochran. That year, she was also one of many Warners stars in '' Starlift'', the studio's musical tribute to United States military personnel fighting in the Korean War. She was loaned to MGM for '' Invitation'' (1952), then co-starred with Errol Flynn in a B action film, '' Mara Maru'' (1952). She went back to MGM to play Glenn Ford's love interest in '' Young Man with Ideas'' (1952) and was reunited with Cooper in '' Blowing Wild'' (1953), only this time she was billed beneath

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

Post-Warners

Roman went to Universal to play Van Heflin's love interest in '' Tanganyika'' (1954). At Universal she was a love interest to James Stewart in the Anthony Mann-directed western '' The Far Country'' (1955) and at Republic was top billed in '' The Shanghai Story'' (1954) with Edmond O'Brien. Roman did ''

Down Three Dark Streets ''Down Three Dark Streets'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film directed by Arnold Laven and starring Broderick Crawford and Ruth Roman. The screenplay was written by Gordon Gordon and Mildred Gordon, based on their novel ''Case File FBI''. ...

'' (1954) with Broderick Crawford, and started appearing on TV in shows like '' Lux Video Theatre'', '' The Red Skelton Hour'', '' Producers' Showcase'', '' Climax!'', '' General Electric Theatre'', '' Celebrity Playhouse'', '' The Ford Television Theatre'' and '' Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre''. Roman had a good part in England in '' Joe MacBeth'' (1955) playing Lady MacBeth, and she was with Van Johnson in ''

The Bottom of the Bottle ''The Bottom of the Bottle'' is a 1956 CinemaScope American drama film based on the novel written by Georges Simenon during his stay in Nogales, Arizona. The novel was adapted for film by Sydney Boehm and directed by Henry Hathaway. Plot Patr ...

'' (1956) and Mayo in '' Great Day in the Morning'' (1956). Roman appeared in the western '' Rebel in Town'' (1956) and was top-billed in '' 5 Steps to Danger'' (1957). She was in '' Bitter Victory'' (1957) and went to Italy to star in ''

Desert Desperados ''Desert Desperadoes'' ( it, La peccatrice del deserto) is a 1959 American/Italian Biblical drama film directed by Steve Sekely from an original screenplay by Victor Stoloff and Robert Hill. Co-produced by the Italian company Venturini Express a ...

'' (1959).

Continuing work in theatre

In 1959, Roman won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre. She was selected from among 47 nominees based on her performance in '' Two for the Seesaw''. Back in Hollywood, she played

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including "Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

's mother in '' Look in Any Window'' (1961).

Television

Ruth Roman in the trailer for the film Great Day in the Morning

Roman worked regularly in films well up to the late 1950s. Then she began making appearances on television shows. These included recurring roles in NBC's 1965–1966 '' The Long, Hot Summer'' and, toward the end of her career, recurring roles in the 1986 season of ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...

'' and several episodes of ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The ser ...

'', both on CBS. She guest-starred in NBC's ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' and '' Sam Benedict'', ABC's '' The Bing Crosby Show''

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

and its

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and uni ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

'' The Greatest Show on Earth'' starring Jack Palance, as well as '' Burke's Law'' starring Gene Barry and '' I Spy'' featuring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby. She also appeared as a fiery redhead in an episode of ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

''. She appeared in the early 1960s in the

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

s '' The Eleventh Hour'' and '' Breaking Point''. She starred in a season 3 episode of '' Mission: Impossible'' (1968) titled "The Elixir" as Riva Santel as well as a Season 2 episode of '' Naked City''. Many other series featured guest appearances by Roman, including '' Route 66, The Untouchables (1959 TV series)'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...

'', '' Cannon (TV series)'', '' Marcus Welby, M.D.'', '' The Mod Squad'', '' The FBI'', ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'', and '' The Outer Limits - episode Moonstone - 1964'' In 1971 Roman appeared as Marjorie Worth on "The Men From Shiloh" (rebranded name for the TV western '' The Virginian'') in the episode titled "The Angus Killer." In 1960, Roman was honoured with a star on the

at 6672 Hollywood Boulevard for her contribution to television.

Personal life

Roman was married four times. She had one son, Richard Roman Hall on November 12, 1952 , with husband Mortimer Hall, son of publisher Dorothy Schiff. She married Hall on December 17, 1950. In 1956, she sued him for divorce, and the divorce decree became final on April 15, 1957. Roman was a Democrat who supported

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I (1835–1914), U.S. Vice President (1893–1897) and Congressman (1879–1881) * Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965), Governor of Illinois (1949–1953), U.S. presidential candida ...

's campaign during the 1952 presidential election.''Motion Picture and Television Magazine'', November 1952, page 33.

''SS Andrea Doria'' sinking

In July 1956, Roman was just finishing a trip to Europe with her three-year-old son Richard. At the port of Cannes they boarded the Italian passenger liner SS ''Andrea Doria'' as first-class passengers for their return passage to the United States. On the night of July 25, the vessel collided with the Swedish passenger liner MS ''Stockholm''. Roman was in the Belvedere Lounge when the collision happened and immediately took off her high heels and scrambled back to her cabin barefoot to retrieve her sleeping son. Several hours later, they were both evacuated with the other passengers from the sinking liner. Richard was lowered first into a waiting lifeboat, but before she could follow, the lifeboat departed. Ruth stepped into the next boat and was eventually rescued along with 750 other survivors from the ''Andrea Doria'' by the French passenger liner SS ''Île de France''. Richard was rescued by the ''Stockholm'' and was reunited with his mother in New York.

Death

Roman died at the age of 76 in her sleep of natural causes at her beachfront villa on Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, on September 9, 1999.

Partial filmography

*'' Stage Door Canteen'' (1943) - Girl (uncredited) *'' Ladies Courageous'' (1944) - WAF (uncredited) *'' Since You Went Away'' (1944) - Envious Girl in Train Station (uncredited) *''

'' (1944) - Dancer (uncredited) *''

'' (1944) - Checkroom Girl (uncredited) *'' Harmony Trail'' (1944) - Ann Martin *'' She Gets Her Man'' (1945) - Glamour Girl (uncredited) *'' Jungle Queen'' (1945, serial) - Lothel - Jungle Queen *''

'' (1945) - Mud Girl (uncredited) *'' The Affairs of Susan'' (1945) - Girl at Bright Dollar (uncredited) *'' You Came Along'' (1945) - Gloria Revere (uncredited) *''

'' (1945) - Chorine (uncredited) *'' Gilda'' (1946) - Girl (uncredited) *'' Without Reservations'' (1946) - Girl in Negligee (uncredited) *'' A Night in Casablanca'' (1946) - Harem Girl (uncredited) *'' The Big Clock'' (1948) - Secretary at Meeting (uncredited) *''

'' (1948) - Ruthie *'' Belle Starr's Daughter'' (1948) - Cimarron Rose *''

'' (1949) - Emma *'' The Window'' (1949) - Mrs. Jean Kellerson *''

'' (1949) - Carol Lawson *'' Always Leave Them Laughing'' (1949) - Fay Washburn *''

'' (1950) - Judith Burns *'' Colt .45'' (1950) - Beth Donovan *'' Three Secrets'' (1950) - Ann Lawrence *''

'' (1950) - Tonia Robles *'' Lightning Strikes Twice'' (1951) - Shelley Carnes *'' Strangers on a Train'' (1951) - Anne Morton *'' Tomorrow Is Another Day'' (1951) - Catherine 'Cay' Higgins *'' Starlift'' (1951) - Ruth Roman *'' Invitation'' (1952) - Maud Redwick *'' Mara Maru'' (1952) - Stella Callahan *'' Young Man With Ideas'' (1952) - Julie Webster *'' Blowing Wild'' (1953) - Sal Donnelly *'' Tanganyika'' (1954) - Peggy Marion *'' The Far Country'' (1954) - Ronda Castle *'' The Shanghai Story'' (1954) - Rita King *''

'' (1954) - Kate Martell *'' Joe MacBeth'' (1955) - Lily MacBeth *''

'' (1956) - Nora Martin *'' Great Day in the Morning'' (1956) - Boston Grant *'' Rebel in Town'' (1956) - Nora Willoughby *'' 5 Steps to Danger'' (1957) - Ann Nicholson *'' Amère victoire'' (UK title: ''Bitter Victory'') (1957) - Jane Brand *'' Desert Desperadoes'' (1959) - The Woman *'' Look in Any Window'' (1961) - Jackie Fowler *''Milagro a los cobardes'' (1962) - Rubén's mother *'' Love Has Many Faces'' (1965) - Margot Eliot *'' The Baby'' (1973) - Mrs. Wadsworth *'' The Killing Kind'' (1973) - Rhea Benson *'' Impulse'' (1974) - Julia Marstow *'' Knife for the Ladies'' (1974) - Elizabeth *'' Day of the Animals'' (1977) - Shirley Goodwyn *'' The Sacketts'' (1979) - Rosie *''Echoes'' (1982) - Michael's Mother

Radio appearances

Awards and nomination

* 1950 Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress for ''

'' (nominee) * 1959 Sarah Siddons Award for '' Two for the Seesaw'' (winner) * 1960 Star for Television on the

(winner)

References

External links

* *
Photographs and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman, Ruth 1922 births 1999 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American people of Polish-Jewish descent Actresses from Boston People from Lynn, Massachusetts 20th-century American actresses Jewish American actresses Shipwreck survivors Schiff family California Democrats Massachusetts Democrats 20th-century American Jews Girls' High School (Boston, Massachusetts) alumni