Paula Trueman (April 25, 1897 – March 23, 1994) was an American film, stage and television actress.Year of birth confirmed by 1920, 1930 and 1940 US census records as well as her 1922 U.S. passport application.U.S. passport application stamped September 16, 1922
ancestry.com; accessed November 15, 2016.
''The New York Times'' obituary, dated March 25, 1994, also cites 1897.

Life and career

Born in 1897 in New York City, to Joseph and Eva (née Cohn) Trueman, she had two sisters, a twin, Natalie (Mrs. Sternberg) and an elder sister, Hannah (Mrs. Bottstein). They were raised in Manhattan. Paula attended

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...

before gaining admission to the

Neighborhood Playhouse A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

to study dancing. Her stage career began with ''The Grand Street Follies'' revues in 1924, and at the end of that year she made her dramatic debut in ''The Little Clay Cart''. She was also in the 1930 revue ''Sweet and Low'', which starred Fannie Brice, George Jessel, and James Barton,"'Sweet and Low' has audacious fun; Fannie Brice, George Jessel and James Barton Starred in Musical Revue"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', November 18, 1930. and appeared in ''Kiss and Tell'', ''For Love or Money'' and ''Wake Up, Darling'' in the 1940s and 1950s. Her film debut was in ''

Crime Without Passion ''Crime Without Passion'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur and starring Claude Rains. It is the first of four pictures written, produced and directed by Hecht and MacArthur for Paramount Pictures. Sixt ...

'' (1934). She later played "Mrs. Fenty" in '' Paint Your Wagon'' and "Grandma Sarah" in ''

The Outlaw Josey Wales ''The Outlaw Josey Wales'' is a 1976 American Revisionist Western film set during and after the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood (as Josey Wales), with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldin ...

'' (both with

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

). She appeared in '' Annie Hall'' and '' Zelig'' (both by

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

), ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

'', and had an uncredited role in '' Moonstruck''. In 1978, she played Maggie Flannigan in ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

''. She appeared as Aunt Teresa in the ''

Tales from the Darkside ''Tales from the Darkside'' is an American anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero. Debuting in October 1983 with a pilot episode and then being picked up for syndication in September 1984, the show ran for 4 seasons through July ...

'' episode (2/12 - 1985) "Monsters in My Room" and the dying great grandmother in "The Cutty Black Sow" (1988), series 4 episode 14.

Death

Trueman died of natural causes in

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

in 1994, aged 96. She was predeceased in 1976 by her husband, Harold Sterner, an architect, whom she married in 1936."Paula Trueman wed to Harold Sterner; Stage and Screen Actress the Bride of Architect, Son of Noted Painter"
''

'', November 18, 1936.

Filmography

References

External links

* (gives year of birth as 1897) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trueman, Paula 1897 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American people of Jewish descent American stage actresses American film actresses American television actresses Hunter College alumni People from Manhattan