Eleanor Ruggles (1916-2008) was an American biographer and book reviewer. The 1955 film ''

Prince of Players ''Prince of Players'' is a 1955 20th Century Fox biographical film about the 19th century American actor Edwin Booth. The film was directed and produced by Philip Dunne from a screenplay by Moss Hart, based on the book by Eleanor Ruggles. The mu ...

'', starring

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

as the 19th century American actor

Edwin Booth Edwin Thomas Booth (November 13, 1833 – June 7, 1893) was an American actor who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Theatre in New York. Some theatri ...

was based on her book. She also wrote for

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

, including the page for Edwin Booth.

Early life

Eleanor Ruggles was the daughter of Daniel Blaisdell Ruggles, a judge on the Nantucket circuit, and Alice (Morrill) Ruggles She grew up in Jamaica Plain and then Beacon Hill, and was educated at

Winsor School The Winsor School is a 5–12 private, college-preparatory day school for girls in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1886. It competes in the Eastern Independent League and is featured on the Boston Women's Heritage Tra ...

, Boston. She earned a bachelor's degree in English and theater arts from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

, graduating in 1938.

Personal life

She married Robert Semmes O'Leary of New Orleans, a Harvard University faculty assistant, who was later an editor of the

New England Medical Journal New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

Publications

*''Gerard Manley Hopkins-A Life'' (1945) *''Prince of Players: Edwin Booth'' (1953)

References

1916 births 2008 deaths Winsor School alumni Vassar College alumni American biographers 20th-century American women writers American women biographers 21st-century American women {{US-bio-writer-stub