Ayn Ruymen (born July 18, 1947) is an American former actress and theater director. She began her career as a stage actress, starring in a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's ''

The Gingerbread Lady ''The Gingerbread Lady'' is a play by Neil Simon. It was widely believed to have been written specifically for actress Maureen Stapleton, who won both the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her performance. But in a later autobiography, Simon w ...

'' (1970–1971), for which she won a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway theatre, Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945� ...

. After relocating to Los Angeles, Ruymen made her feature film debut in

Paul Bartel Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was an American actor, writer and director. He was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy ''Eating Raoul'', which he wrote, starred in and directed. Bartel appeared in over 90 movies and ...

's horror film '' Private Parts'' (1972) and appeared in several television films during the 1970s. She had a lead role on the

sitcom A sitcom, a 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 troupe may use ne ...

The McLean Stevenson Show ''The McLean Stevenson Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC on Wednesday nights from December 1, 1976, to March 23, 1977. Premise The series centered on Mac Ferguson, the owner of a hardware store in Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) ...

'' from 1976 to 1977. She made her last screen appearance in the television film ''Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland'' (1993). Since then, Ruymen has worked primarily as a theater director of productions for the Mendocino Theatre Company.

Early life

Ruymen was born July 18, 1947 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City, one of six children, and was raised in

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Her father, George Ruymen, worked as a building inspector for the City of New York. She began working as an actress while still a teenager, performing in theater productions in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. In 1969, Ruymen appeared as a model at the

Miami International Boat Show The Miami International Boat Show is an annual event in February, produced by thNational Marine Manufacturers Associationin Miami, Florida, United States. It had previously been held in three separate venues; two in Downtown Miami, and the other ...

to promote Sungard

sunscreen Sunscreen, also known as sunblock or sun cream, is a photoprotective topical product for the skin that mainly absorbs, or to a much lesser extent reflects, some of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation and thus helps protect against sunburn and ...

, covering half her face in it before spending time in the sun, demonstrating the product's efficacy at preventing

sunburn Sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue, such as skin, that results from an overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, usually from the Sun. Common symptoms in humans and animals include: red or reddish skin that is ho ...

Career

In 1970, she was cast as Polly Meara in a

production of

's ''

'' opposite

Maureen Stapleton Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, in addition to ...

, which ran between December 1970 and 1971. Critic

George Oppenheimer George Seligman Oppenheimer (February 7, 1900 in New York City – August 14, 1977) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and journalist. Career In 1925, Oppenheimer cofounded The Viking Press, but becoming more interested in writing than pu ...

praised Ruymen for "showing great promise" in the "difficult" role. For her performance, she won the

in 1971. During her stage career, she became a member of

Actors' Equity The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a book ...

. Ruymen subsequently relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in late 1971 to pursue a film career. She commented that she initially disliked California: "I found the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...

disgusting. I was trying to get work and nothing happened for six months. It makes you want to pull your hair out." In early 1972, she was cast in an episode of the medical drama series '' Medical Center''. She was subsequently cast in the lead role of

's horror film '' Private Parts'' (1972), playing a young woman who uncovers dark secrets in a Los Angeles hotel operated by her aunt. The following year, she appeared in the television film ''

Go Ask Alice ''Go Ask Alice'' is a 1971 book about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of self-destructive escapism. Attributed to "Anonymous", the book is in diary form, and was originally presented as ...

''. She later had a minor uncredited role as a nurse in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'' (1975). Between 1976 and 1977, Ruymen had a lead role on the

'', playing the daughter of a hardware store proprietor. Ruymen's last film appearance was the 1993 television film ''Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland''. In September 2009, she married Robert Ross, a visual artist and instructor at the Mendocino Arts Center and Oregon School of Arts & Crafts. Ruymen has directed numerous plays for the Mendocino Theatre Company (MTC) as early as 1993, when she directed a production of ''

Love Letters A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

'', which featured a nightly rotating cast. In August 2009, she directed an MTC stage production of

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

's ''The Circle''.

Select filmography

Film

Television

Stage credits

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruymen, Ayn 1947 births Actresses from New York City American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American theatre directors Female models from New York (state) People from Long Island Theatre World Award winners Living people