Ruth Alice Taylor (January 13, 1905 – April 12, 1984) was an American actress in

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

s and early talkies. Her son was the writer, comic, and actor

Buck Henry Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he re ...

Early years

Taylor was born to Norman and Ivah ( Bates) Taylor in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. She was two years old when her parents moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, where she was raised and graduated from high school.

Film career

After participating in amateur dramatics as a youth, Taylor persuaded her mother to bring her to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

where the teenager spent a year working as an extra. She was discovered by

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

in February 1925 when he was looking for a blonde to play in a

Harry Langdon Harry Philmore Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety'', December 27, 1944, page 39. Life and career Bor ...

comedy. She was chosen from around two hundred girls who responded to Sennett's call. She was also selected as one of the

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

in 1928. In 1927, Taylor's two-year contract with Mack Sennett expired. She was cast as Lorelei Lee in the original version of '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1928). Directed by Malcolm St. Clair, the film co-starred

Alice White Alice White (born Alva White; August 25, 1904Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. , pg. 1228. – February 19, 1983) was an American film ac ...

and

Ford Sterling Ford Sterling (born George Ford Stich Jr.; November 3, 1883 – October 13, 1939) was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4', he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops. Biography ...

. During the search for Lorelei Lee, fans sent 14,000 letters to

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. Each suggested a choice of an actress for the role. In return, every fan was mailed a photo of Ruth Taylor when she was selected for the part. It was the largest shipment of pictures of one person ever sent out from

Anita Loos Corinne Anita Loos (April 26, 1888 – August 18, 1981) was an American actress, novelist, playwright and screenwriter. In 1912, she became the first female staff screenwriter in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood, when D. W. Griffith put h ...

was determined that Taylor play the role of her literary character. ''Just Married'' (1928) was the first offering in what was billed as a new comedy team featuring Taylor and James Hall. Produced by B.P. Schulberg, the movie was directed by Frank R. Strayer. Taylor's final screen credits are roles in ''A Hint to Brides'' (1929), ''The College Coquette'' (1929), '' This Thing Called Love'' (1929), and ''Scrappily Married'' (1930).

Personal life

Taylor married retired USAF

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and New York City stockbroker, Paul Steinberg Zuckerman on March 17, 1930. He had served in the

Lafayette Escadrille The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...

during World War I, and as a senior officer in World War II. They were married until his death on December 3, 1965. Their son,

, went on to become a famous comedian and screenwriter of such hits as ''

The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Wil ...

''.

Death

Ruth Taylor died in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

in 1984, aged 79.

Partial filmography

* ''

Butter Fingers ''Butter Fingers'' is a 1925 American silent film sports comedy film directed by Del Lord Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films. Career Delmer ...

'' (1925) * ''

Flirty Four-Flushers ''Flirty Four-Flushers'' is a 1926 comedy silent film produced by Mack Sennett and starred by Eddie Cline and Billy Bevan. Carl Harbaugh wrote the reelers of the film. It was distributed by Pathé. It was released on December 26, 1926. ''Pea ...

'' (1926) * '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1928) * ''

Just Married ''Just Married'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, written by Sam Harper, and stars Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy. Produced by Robert Simonds, the film was successful at the box office despite generally negative ...

'' (1928) * '' This Thing Called Love'' (1929) * '' The College Coquette'' (1929)

References

External links

*
Ruth Taylor
at Virtual History * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Ruth American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Portland, Oregon 1905 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Grand Rapids, Michigan WAMPAS Baby Stars