Ruth Warrick

Ruth Elizabeth Warrick (June 29, 1916 – January 15, 2005) was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on All My Children, which she played regularly from 1970 until her death in 2005. She made her film debut in Citizen Kane, and years later celebrated her 80th birthday by attending a special screening of the film.

Early life and career

Ruth Warrick was born June 29, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, to Frederick Roswell Warrick and Annie Louise Warrick, née Scott. By writing an essay in high school called "Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis", Warrick won a contest to be Miss Jubilesta, Missouri's paid ambassador to New York City.

There she began her career as a radio singer, and met her first husband Erik Rolf.

Warrick's first big break was being hired by a young Orson Welles for Citizen Kane (1941), in which she played Emily Monroe Norton, niece of the President of the United States and Kane's first wife. Welles pulled her photograph from the hundreds he had been sent by agents; he recognized her from a radio show they had worked on together in 1938. He spoke with her in New York: "I'm not looking for an actress that can play a lady," he said, "I want an actress who is a lady." She was in California within days, making several screen tests including one with Welles, and was regarded as perfect for the role. Warrick was expecting her first child during the filming of Kane, which prevented her being cast in The Magnificent Ambersons. and Welles hired her again for Journey into Fear (1943).

Singing, writing and politics In 1971, she published a single with the song "41,000 Plus 4 The Ballad of the Kent State Massacre". It was a tribute to Sandra Lee Scheuer, William Knox Schroeder, Jeffrey Glenn Miller, and Allison Beth Krause, the four students killed at Kent State University by National Guard soldiers during a demonstration against the Vietnam War.

She published her autobiography, The Confessions of Phoebe Tyler (co-written by Don Preston) in 1980, the same year she won a Soapy Award (a prelude to the Soap Opera Digest Awards). She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was on hand to receive her Daytime Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004.

Warrick was a member of the Democratic Party, working with the administrations of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Jimmy Carter on labor and education issues. Upon Carter's 1980 defeat, she sent him a long letter thanking him for his efforts. He replied, telling her that if he had hired her as a speechwriter, he would have been reelected. Warrick had generally liberal political views. In her first years at All My Children, Warrick was flustered by her character's conservative politics and support of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, which Warrick strongly opposed.

In July 2000, she refused to accept a lifetime achievement award from the South Carolina Arts Commission because she was offended by legislators' decision to move the Confederate flag from the state Capitol dome to another spot on the grounds in response to a boycott of the state by flag opponents. A lifelong supporter of African-American rights, she felt the flag should be removed completely, and commented, "In my view, this was no compromise. It was a deliberate affront to the African-Americans, who see it as a sign of oppression and hate".

In 1991, Warrick received a certification as a licensed metaphysical teacher from a Unity school in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

Death Warrick died of complications related to pneumonia on January 15, 2005, aged 88, at her home in Manhattan. Phoebe's funeral was aired May 12, 2005. The episode featured many of Warrick's most notable performances as flashbacks, and included the return of many of the characters who had been closely involved in her storylines over the years. Warrick was included in the memorial tribute at the 11th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Film historian Scott Feinberg conducted the final interview with Warrick on August 14, 2004, at her apartment in New York Cityput The auction included her extensive collection of art and photographs, as well as books signed by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Signed scripts from Peyton Place and All My Children, as well as her Broadway appearances were also in the catalog. The centerpiece of the catalog was the 25th anniversary reprint script of Citizen Kane, signed by Warrick, Cotten, and Welles, one of only 100 printed. Her family donated her 2004 Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award to a museum in her hometown of Saint Joseph, Missouri.

Film credits Year Title Role Notes 1940 Citizen Kane trailer Emily Monroe Norton Short 1941 Citizen Kane Film debut Isabelle Gravini 1949 Make Believe Ballroom Liza Lee Ruth Treadwell 1950 Beauty on Parade Marian Medford Second Chance Emily Dean Let's Dance Carola Everett Three Husbands Jane Evans 1951 One Too Many Helen Mason / Helen Leroy Lintz 1954 Roogie's Bump Mrs. Rigsby 1965 A Letter To Nancy Mrs. Helen Reed 1966 Ride Beyond Vengeance Aunt Gussie 1968 How to Steal the World Alice Garrow 1969 Mrs. Applebee 1983 The Returning Grace 1984 Death Mask Beatrice VandenBerg

Selected television appearances Year Title Role Notes 1961–1962 Father of the Bride Ellie Banks TV series main cast; 34 episodes 1964 Perry Mason Mrs. Winlock Season 8 Episode 13: "The Case of the Blonde Bonanza": 1965 Gunsmoke Clara Benteen Season 11 Episode 2: "The Storm" 1965–1969 Peyton Place Hannah Cord 88 episodes 1968 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Alice Garrow Season 4 Episode 15: "The Seven Wonders of the World: Part I" 1970–2005 All My Children Phoebe Tyler Wallingford 511 episodes