Ruth Ford (July 7, 1911 – August 12, 2009) was an American actress and model. Her brother was the

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

Charles Henri Ford Charles Henri Ford (February 10, 1908 – September 27, 2002) was an American poet, novelist, diarist, filmmaker, photographer, and collage artist. He published more than a dozen collections of poetry, exhibited his artwork in Europe and the Uni ...

. Their parents owned or managed hotels in the American South, and the family regularly moved.

Life and career

Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Ford was the daughter of Charles and Gertrude Cato Ford, who owned hotels in four towns in the South. She was a graduate of the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

. Writer and artist

was her brother. As a model, Ford posed for photographers

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the theat ...

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealism, Surrealist movements, although his t ...

, and Carl Van Vechten, among others. She married actor Peter Van Eyck in 1940, but the marriage was unsuccessful. Van Eyck was the father of her daughter, Shelley, who was born in 1941. Before Ford's trip to Hollywood, she was a member of

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also ...

, and appeared in his film ''

Too Much Johnson ''Too Much Johnson'' is a 1938 American silent comedy film written and directed by Orson Welles. An unfinished film component of a stage production, it was made three years before Welles directed ''Citizen Kane'', but it was never publicly screen ...

'' (1938), which was considered lost until the rediscovery of footage in 2013. Welles's assistance helped her to land contracts with

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

and

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

studios. Ford's Broadway debut was in ''The Shoemaker's Holiday'' (1938). Among her other Broadway performances, she starred in ''

Poor Murderer ''Poor Murderer'' is a play written by Pavel Kohout that premiered at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway on 20 October 1976 and closed on 2 January 1977 after 87 performances. Setting The time is 1900, and it takes place in the great hall o ...

'' (1976). Ford married film star

Zachary Scott Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965)Obituary ''Variety'', October 6, 1965. was an American actor who was known for his roles as villains and "mystery men". Early life Scott was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Sallie Le ...

, and they remained together until Scott's death in 1965. Scott adopted Shelley, who took the name Shelley Scott. Zachary Scott reportedly died penniless except for a $100,000 insurance policy he left for his widow. Later, in the 1970s, she was involved in a relationship with a much younger man, the writer

Dotson Rader Dotson Rader (born July 25, 1942, in Evanston, Illinois) is an American author and playwright who has published four novels and three works of non-fiction as well as the stage play ''God Looked Away'' about Tennessee Williams. Biography Initial ...

. Ford, writing out Christmas cards by her courtyard window was the first person to call 911 to report shots fired at

The Dakota The Dakota, also known as the Dakota Apartments, is a Housing cooperative, cooperative apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street (Manhattan), 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The Dakota was construc ...

apartments which would turn out to be the murder of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

. Ford died in New York City.

Posthumous

In May 2010 it was reported, originally in ''The Wall Street Journal'', that Ford's estate had been worth $8.4 million, almost all of it in the value of two apartments she owned in the apartment building

in Manhattan, where she died at the age of 98 in 2009. One of the apartments had belonged to her brother Charles, who predeceased her. She bequeathed the apartments to her cook/butler, Indra Tamang, a Nepalese-American whom Charles Henri Ford had brought to New York. Ford's daughter and grandchildren reportedly were disinherited. Tamang sold the larger of Ford's Dakota apartments in 2011 for less than $4.5 million.

Partial filmography

* ''

Chloe, Love Is Calling You ''Chloe, Love Is Calling You'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marshall Neilan. The film is also known as ''Chloe'' (American short title). This was lead actress Olive Borden's last film. Plot summary A low-budget Southern dra ...

'' (1934) – Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

'' (1938) – Mrs. Billings * ''

Roaring Frontiers ''Roaring Frontiers'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Tex Ritter, Wild Bill Elliott and Ruth Ford.Parish & Pitts p.177 Plot Cast * Wild Bill Elliott as Wild Bill Hickok * Tex Ritter as Tex Martin * ...

'' (1941) – Reba Bailey * ''

Secrets of the Lone Wolf ''Secrets of the Lone Wolf'' is a 1941 American crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Warren William. It is part of Columbia Pictures series of Lone Wolf films. Cast * Warren William as Michael Lanyard * Ruth Ford as Helene de L ...

'' (1941) – Helene de Leon * ''

The Man Who Returned to Life ''The Man Who Returned to Life'' is a 1942 American black-and-white drama film directed by Lew Landers, written by Gordon Rigby and released by Columbia Pictures. Plot David Jameson lives in a rural town in Maryland. He is forced to flee after ...

'' (1942) – Beth Beebe * '' The Lady Is Willing'' (1942) – Myrtle Glossamer * ''

Lady Gangster ''Lady Gangster'' is a 1942 Warner Bros. B picture crime film directed by Robert Florey, credited as "Florian Roberts". It is based on the play ''Gangstress, or Women in Prison'' by Dorothy Mackaye, who in 1928, as #440960, served less than ten ...

'' (1942) – Lucy Fenton * ''

Murder in the Big House ''Murder in the Big House'' is a black-and-white American crime drama, released by Warner Bros in April 1942. Structured as an hour-long second feature, it is directed by the prolific specialist in low-budget action productions, B. Reeves Eason, a ...

'' (1942) – Mrs. Irene Gordon * ''

In This Our Life ''In This Our Life'' is a 1942 American drama film, the second to be directed by John Huston. The screenplay by Howard Koch is based on the 1941 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Ellen Glasgow. The cast included the establishe ...

'' (1942) – Mother of Accident Victim (uncredited) * ''

Escape from Crime ''Escape from Crime'' is a 1942 American crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman. It has essentially the same plot as the earlier ''Picture Snatcher'' (1933).

'' (1942) – Myrt * ''

Secret Enemies ''Secret Enemies'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Raymond L. Schrock. The film stars Craig Stevens, Faye Emerson, John Ridgely, Charles Lang, Robert Warwick, and Frank Reicher. The film was released b ...

'' (1942) – Miss Page (uncredited) * ''

Across the Pacific ''Across the Pacific'' is a 1942 American spy film set on the eve of the entry of the United States into World War II. It was directed first by John Huston, then by Vincent Sherman after Huston joined the United States Army Signal Corps. It star ...

'' (1942) – Secretary (uncredited) * '' The Hidden Hand'' (1942) – Estelle Channing * ''

The Gorilla Man ''The Gorilla Man'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by D. Ross Lederman. Despite the title and marketing, it is not a horror film, but a World War II espionage thriller. Plot Military officer Captain Craig Killian is wounded in the lin ...

'' (1943) – Janet Devon * ''

Truck Busters ''Truck Busters'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by B. Reeves Eason, written by Robert E. Kent and Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Richard Travis, Virginia Christine, Charles Lang, Ruth Ford, Richard Fraser, Tod Andrews and Frank Wilco ...

'' (1943) – Pearl * ''

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

'' (1943) – Nurse (uncredited) * ''

Murder on the Waterfront ''Murder on the Waterfront'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by B. Reeves Eason and written by Robert E. Kent. The film stars Warren Douglas, Joan Winfield, John Loder, Ruth Ford, Bill Crago and Bill Kennedy. The film was released by War ...

'' (1943) – Lana Shane * ''

Adventure in Iraq ''Adventure in Iraq'' is a 1943 American adventure film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring John Loder, Ruth Ford, Warren Douglas and Paul Cavanagh. The film is based on the 1921 play '' The Green Goddess'' by William Archer. Plot Thr ...

'' (1943) – Tess Torrence * ''

Princess O'Rourke ''Princess O'Rourke'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film directed and written by Norman Krasna (in Krasna's directorial debut), and starring Olivia de Havilland, Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn. Krasna won the 1944 Oscar for Best Origina ...

'' (1943) – Clare Stillwell (uncredited) * ''

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People * Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...

'' (1944) – Margaret Wilson * ''

The Keys of the Kingdom ''The Keys of the Kingdom'' is a 1941 novel by A. J. Cronin. Spanning six decades, it tells the story of Father Francis Chisholm, an unconventional Scottish Catholic priest who struggles to establish a mission in China. Beset by tragedy in h ...

'' (1944) – Sister Clotilde * ''

Circumstantial Evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact—such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly—i.e., without need ...

'' (1945) – Mrs. Simms * ''

The Woman Who Came Back ''The Woman Who Came Back'' is a 1945 horror film directed by Walter Colmes and starring John Loder, Nancy Kelly, and Otto Kruger. The film concerns an offbeat woman who becomes convinced that she is a witch, a conclusion which eventually lea ...

'' (1945) – Ruth Gibson * ''

Strange Impersonation ''Strange Impersonation'' is a 1946 American film noir drama film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Brenda Marshall, William Gargan and Hillary Brooke. Plot The distinguished chemical research scientist Nora Goodrich is postponing her marria ...

'' (1946) – Jane Karaski #1 * '' Dragonwyck'' (1946) – Cornelia Van Borden (uncredited) * '' Act One'' (1963) – Beatrice Kaufman * '' The Tree'' (1969) – Mrs. Gagnon * ''

Play It As It Lays ''Play It as It Lays'' is a 1970 novel by the American writer Joan Didion. ''Time'' magazine included the novel in its " 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to 2005". About the book, Joan Didion said, "I didn’t think it was going to mak ...

'' (1972) – Carlotta * ''

Too Scared to Scream ''Too Scared to Scream'' (also known as ''The Doorman'') is a 1984 American independent slasher film directed by Tony Lo Bianco. It stars Mike Connors, who also produces, Anne Archer and Ian McShane. The film was originally filmed in 1981 and in ...

'' (1985) – Irma (final film role)

References

External links

*
Ruth Ford
at

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

* *
Ruth Ford's obituary in ''The Daily Telegraph''

Ruth Ford's obituary in ''The Times''

* Ruth Ford Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Ruth Actresses from Mississippi Female models from Mississippi American film actresses American stage actresses People from Brookhaven, Mississippi People from Clarksville, Tennessee 1911 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women