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Ruth White

Ruth White

Actor · Died December 3, 1969, aged 55 · Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA

Ruth Patricia White (April 24, 1914 – December 3, 1969) in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA as Ruth Patricia White. She was an actress, known for Du silence et des ombres... (1962),Macadam cowboy (1969) and Pendez-les haut et court (1968). She died on December 3, 1969 in Perth Amboy. Her death, from cancer, was sudden and unexpected. She spent the final decade of her life as one of New York's most highly praised character actresses. She had sacrificed her career to care for an ailing parent, and when she returned to acting, she was in her mid-30s, overweight and without much promise of reviving her career. However, she scored great successes in the off-Broadway plays of Samuel Beckett (most notably "Happy Days"), appeared in Edward Albee's "Malcolm" (1966) and "Box" (1968), and earned a Tony nomination for her role in Harold Pinter's "The Birthday Party" (1968). She earned an Emmy nomination for her role in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of "Little Moon of Alban".

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 24, 1914
Died
December 3, 1969 (aged 55)
From
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 28% in 30 days

What are Ruth White's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
29%
Self
24%
Society
17%
Bonds
16%
Survival
8%
Power
4%
Ideas
2%
Justice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 6 · Dark 7

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 12 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 10 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 9 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 7

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 4
Shadow
1 of 4
Hero
1 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Melancholic
9
Contemplative
4
Warm
4
Bittersweet
5
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ruth White's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ruth White's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Pursuit of Happiness(1971)

    as Mrs. Popper

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Reivers(1969)

    as Miss Reba

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Midnight Cowboy(1969)

    as Sally Buck

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Let Me Hear You Whisper(1969)

    as Helen

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Charly(1968)

    as Mrs. Apple

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • A Lovely Way to Die(1968)

    as Biddy

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Hang 'Em High(1968)

    as Madame Sophie

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • No Way to Treat a Lady(1968)

    as Mrs. Himmel

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Johnny Belinda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Aggie MacDonald

  • The Tiger Makes Out(1967)

    as Mrs. Edna Kelly

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Up the Down Staircase(1967)

    as Beatrice Schacter

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • ABC Stage 67 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Geraldine

  • Cast a Giant Shadow(1966)

    as Mrs. Chaison

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • A Rage to Live(1965)

    as Mrs. Bannon

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Baby the Rain Must Fall(1965)

    as Miss Clara

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Edith Waverly · as Grams

  • To Kill a Mockingbird(1962)

    as Mrs. Dubose

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Nurses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Halpern

  • Ben Casey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Catherine DiLorenzo

  • Dr. Kildare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Hester Cullen

  • Lullaby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Mother

  • The Untouchables (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Bertha Levinson

  • The Twilight Zone(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Ford

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Nun's Story(1959)

    as Mother Marcella

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Naked City(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Mama Ganoulian · as Mary Nagler

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • DuPont Show of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Mrs. Burgess

  • Edge of the City(1957)

    as Katherine Nordmann

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Summer Pavilion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Belle Travers

  • Omnibus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Madame Beauchet

  • Goodyear Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Ma

  • Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · as Amy · as Belle Travers · as Mama · as Mrs. Cornelius

  • Kraft Television Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Show 2 episodes · as Mother Shipton

Career shape

Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 34 titles from 1947 to 1971; peak year 1969.

Biggest box office

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

$45M worldwide

Highest rated

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19471971

Peak 1969 · at the high point of their film career. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting34 of 34: 34 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score75th

By decade

1940s2 · acting1950s10 · acting1960s21 · acting1970s1 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 11 roles
5767

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Ruth White's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

Let Me Hear You Whisper (1969)

98th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ruth White's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 46 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles20–57 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 46 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 48 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Ruth White work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ruth White's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Mulligan shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers