Ruth Mackay (9 May 1878 – 31 March 1949) was a British

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. She was married to actor

Eille Norwood Eille Norwood (born Anthony Edward Brett; 11 October 1861 – 24 December 1948) was an English stage actor, director, and playwright best known today for playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of silent films. Early life He was born 11 October 18 ...

. She was born in Kennington in London in 1878, the daughter of David McDonald MacKay (1839–1910) and Florence ''née'' Dignam (1846–). Her daughter was Marjorie Florence Grahame - the actress Jane Grahame (1899-1981). In 1905 Mackay married the actor

; they were to remain together until his death. In 1902 she toured Australia as Iras in '' Ben Hur''. She was 'Carrots' in ''Resurrection'' (1903) with

Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous progr ...

and appeared in ''The Gordian Knot'' before travelling to New York to appear with

Nat Goodwin Nathaniel Carl "Nat" Goodwin (July 25, 1857 – January 31, 1919) was an American actor and vaudevillian born in Boston. Life and career While clerk in a large shop Goodwin studied for the stage and made his first appearance in 1874 at the How ...

in ''The Usurper'' at the Knickerbocker Theatre in 1904. In 1905 she was Potiphar's Wife in ''Joseph and His Brethren'' at the

Coliseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...

in London. while in 1908 she was in '' Beau Brocade''. She played the title role in ''

Mrs. Warren's Profession ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893, and first performed in London in 1902. The play is about a former prostitute, now a madam (brothel proprietor), who attempts to come to terms with her disapproving ...

'' (1913) at the

Royalty Theatre, Glasgow The Royalty Theatre, Glasgow (later the Lyric Theatre) was a theatre in Glasgow at the corner of Sauchiehall Street and Renfield Street. It was built in 1879 as part of a development by the Central Halls Company chaired by David Rattray, and was ...

, was Miriam Leigh in '' The Man Who Stayed at Home'' at the

Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.

(1914) and was Mrs. Gordon Peel in '' The Luck of the Navy'' (1918) at the Queen's Theatre. In her later years she lived with her husband at Corner Cottage, Waverley Lane in Farnham in Surrey. Ruth Mackay Brett died in Westfields Nursing Home in

Whitstable Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent adjoining the convergence of the Swale Estuary and the Greater Thames Estuary in southeastern England, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay. The 2011 Census reported a population of ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

.England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Ruth Brett 1949- Ancestry.com
/ref>

Filmography

* '' Honeymoon for Three'' (1915) * ''

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

'' (1916) * '' East Is East'' (1916) * '' Merely Mrs. Stubbs'' (1917) * ''

The Woman Who Was Nothing ''The Woman Who Was Nothing'' is a 1917 British silent crime film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Lilian Braithwaite, Madge Titheradge and George Tulley. It was based on a novel by Tom Gallon. The screenplay concerns a female ex-convic ...

'' (1917) * ''

Goodbye Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to: Film * ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann * ''Goodbye'' ...

'' (1918) * '' No Children Wanted'' (1918) * '' Duke's Son'' (1920) * ''

Testimony In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. Etymology The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness. ...

'' (1920) * ''

Innocent Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Place of Honour ''The Place of Honour'' is a 1921 British silent adventure film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Hugh Buckler, Madge White and Miles Mander.Low p.428 It is based on a short story by Ethel M. Dell set in British India. Cast * Hugh Buc ...

'' (1921) * '' The Scourge'' (1922)

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

*
Collection of photographic portraits of Ruth Mackay
- National Portrait Gallery, London {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, Ruth 1878 births 1949 deaths English stage actresses English film actresses English silent film actresses Actresses from London 20th-century English actresses