Ruth Dunning (17 May 1909 – 27 February 1983), born Mary Ruth Dunning, was a Welsh actress of stage, television, and film. Although her year of birth was long given as 1911, her birth was registered in

Holywell Holywell may refer to: * Holywell, Flintshire, Wales * Holywell, Swords, Ireland * Holywell, Bedfordshire, England * Holywell, Cambridgeshire, England * Holywell, Cornwall, England * Holywell, Dorset, England * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Susse ...

in 1909.

Personal life

Mary Ruth Dunning was born in

Prestatyn Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085, History Prehistory There is evidence that the ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

, in 1909.

Career

Stage

As a young actress, Dunning was a member of an amateur theatre company in

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

. In 1934, she took over a part from

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...

in ''

Love on the Dole ''Love on the Dole'' is a novel by Walter Greenwood, about working-class poverty in 1930s Northern England. It has been made into both a play and a film. The novel Walter Greenwood's novel (1933) was written during the early 1930s as a respons ...

'', at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...

in London. Other stage appearances for Dunning included

Val Gielgud Val Henry Gielgud (28 April 1900 – 30 November 1981) was an English actor, writer, director and Television presenter, broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newe ...

's ''Punch and Judy'' (1937),

A. A. Milne Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winni ...

's ''Gentleman Unknown'' (1938),

Ted Willis Edward Henry Willis, Baron Willis (13 January 1914 – 22 December 1992) was an English playwright, novelist and screenwriter who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party. In 1941 he became the General Secretary of the Young Co ...

' ''The Eyes of Youth'' (1959), and Willis' adaptation of Gorky's ''

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

'' (1961).

Film and television

Dunning found fame in the role of Gladys Grove in

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

's ''

The Grove Family ''The Grove Family'' was a British television series soap opera, generally regarded as the first of its kind broadcast in the UK, made and broadcast by the BBC Television Service from 1954 to 1957. The series concerned the life of the family of ...

'' (1954–1957), also portraying that character in the 1955 film ''

It's a Great Day ''It's a Great Day'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by John Warrington. A spin-off of the popular soap ''The Grove Family'', the film stars Ruth Dunning as Gladys Grove, Edward Evans as Bob Grove, and Sid James as Harry Mason. Nancy R ...

''. In 1956, she appeared in a television commercial for

Persil Persil is a German brand of laundry detergent manufactured and marketed by Henkel around the world except in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Latin America (except Mexico), China, Australia and New Zealand, where it is manufactured and mar ...

laundry detergent, on the first night of

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

's broadcasts in the north of England. In 1962 she was awarded the

British Academy Television Award for Best Actress This is a list of the British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress. The British Academy Television Awards began in 1955. The Best Actress award was initially given as an "individual honour", without credit to a particular performance, until ...

for her work on ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canadi ...

''. Other screen roles played by Dunning included Leonie in '' Intimate Relations'' (1953), Auntie B. in ''

Urge to Kill ''Urge to Kill'' is a studio album by Brainbombs Brainbombs is a Swedish noise rock band formed 1985 in Hudiksvall. The members are Dan, Peter, Jonas, Drajan, and Lanchy. The latter was also a member of Totalitär. They are notable for t ...

'' (1960), Mrs. Mitchell in ''

Hoffman Hoffman is a surname of German and Jewish origin. The original meaning in medieval times was "steward", i.e. one who manages the property of another. In English and other European languages, including Yiddish and Dutch, the name can also be spelle ...

'' (1970), Betty Atherton in ''The Sextet'' (1972), Agnes Henderson in ''

The House in Nightmare Park ''The House in Nightmare Park'' (known as ''Crazy House'' in the U.S.) is a 1973 British comedy horror film directed by Peter Sykes and starring Frankie Howerd, Ray Milland and Hugh Burden. It was one of a number of British comedy films which pa ...

'' (1973), Miss Minchin in ''

A Little Princess ''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in '' St. Nicholas M ...

'' (1973), Mildred Finch in '' An Unofficial Rose'' (1974–1975),

Lesley Whittle British teenager Lesley Whittle was kidnapped on 14 January 1975, and her body discovered on 7 March 1975. Her kidnapping and murder dominated national headlines for 11 months. The investigation involved over 400 officers from the West Mercia ...

's mother in '' The Black Panther'' (1977), and Mrs. Crabtree in ''

Children of the Stones ''Children of the Stones'' is a British television fantasy drama serial for children, produced by HTV in 1976 and broadcast on the United Kingdom's ITV network in January and February 1977. The serial was produced by Peter Graham Scott, with ...

'' (1977).

Personal life

Ruth Dunning was married to actor Jack Allen. She died in 1983, aged 73, in London. The Ruth Dunning and Jack Allen Collection at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

holds some of her papers, including contracts, scripts, and photographs.

Partial filmography

* ''

Save a Little Sunshine ''Save a Little Sunshine'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Norman Lee and starring Dave Willis, Pat Kirkwood and Tommy Trinder. Plot After he is sacked from his job, Dave Smalley buys a share in a hotel, but has to resort to workin ...

'' (1938) - Miss Dickson * ''

The Woman in the Hall ''The Woman in the Hall'' is a 1947 British drama film directed by Jack Lee and starring Ursula Jeans, Jean Simmons, Cecil Parker. The screenplay was written by Jack Lee, Ian Dalrymple and Gladys Bronwyn Stern, from Stern's 1939 novel of the ...

'' (1947) - Shirley Dennison * '' Intimate Relations'' (1953) - Leonie * ''

The Weak and the Wicked ''The Weak and the Wicked'' (called ''Young and Willing'' in the United States) is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the autobiographical novel '' Who Lie in Gaol'' by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns and ...

'' (1954) - Prison Matron * '' Man of the Moment'' (1955) - Gladys Grove (uncredited) * ''

'' (1955) - Gladys Grove * ''

'' (1960) - Auntie B * ''

And Women Shall Weep ''And Women Shall Weep'' is a 1960 British drama film directed by John Lemont and starring Ruth Dunning, Max Butterfield and Richard O'Sullivan. Its plot is about a mother who tries to prevent her younger son being led astray by his delinquent ...

'' (1960) - Mrs. Lumsden * ''

Dangerous Afternoon ''Dangerous Afternoon'' is a 1961 British crime film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Ruth Dunning. It was primarily filmed at Twickenham Studios, with the shops next to Strawberry Hill railway station, notably the chemist's in Wellesley ...

'' (1961) - Miss Letty Frost * ''

The Three Lives of Thomasina ''The Three Lives of Thomasina'' is a 1963 fantasy film directed by Don Chaffey, starring Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire, child actor Matthew Garber and child actress Karen Dotrice in a story about a cat and her influence on a family. The s ...

'' (1963) - Mother Stirling * '' Undermind'' (1965) ( ep: 'Waves of Sound') - Dr.Margaret Whittaker * ''

'' (1970) - Mrs. Mitchell * ''

'' (1973) - Agnes Henderson * '' The Black Panther'' (1977) - Lesley's Mother

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunning, Ruth 1909 births 1983 deaths Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners Welsh film actresses Welsh stage actresses Welsh television actresses 20th-century Welsh actresses People from Prestatyn