Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Thelma Ritter(1902-1969)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Thelma Ritter
After having been lost at sea for several years, a missing wife thought long dead returns just after her husband has remarried.
Play trailer2:54
Move Over, Darling (1963)
11 Videos
95 Photos
Thelma Ritter appeared in high school plays and was trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In the 1940s she worked in radio. Her movie career was started with a bit part in the 1946 Miracle on 34th Street (1947). In the movie she played a weary Xmas shopper. Her performance in the short scene was noticed by Darryl F. Zanuck who insisted her role be expanded. During the period 1951 to 1963 Ms. Ritter was nominated for 6 Academy Awards. She is one of the most nominated actors who never won the statue. Shortly after a 1968 performance on The Jerry Lewis Show (1967), Ms. Ritter suffered a heart attack which proved fatal.
BornFebruary 14, 1902
DiedFebruary 5, 1969(66)
BornFebruary 14, 1902
DiedFebruary 5, 1969(66)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 6 Oscars
    • 4 wins & 16 nominations total

Photos95

View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
+ 88
View Poster

Known for

All About Eve (1950)
All About Eve
8.2
  • Birdie
  • 1950
Grace Kelly, James Stewart, Georgine Darcy, Judith Evelyn, and Harry Landers in Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window
8.5
  • Stella
  • 1954
Gene Tierney, John Lund, and Thelma Ritter in The Mating Season (1951)
The Mating Season
7.4
  • Ellen McNulty
  • 1951
Richard Widmark and Jean Peters in Pickup on South Street (1953)
Pickup on South Street
7.6
  • Moe Williams
  • 1953

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress



  • What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968)
    What's So Bad About Feeling Good?
    6.5
    • Mrs. Schwartz
    • 1968
  • The Incident (1967)
    The Incident
    7.6
    • Bertha Beckerman
    • 1967
  • Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis, Suzanna Leigh, Thelma Ritter, Dany Saval, and Christiane Schmidtmer in Boeing, Boeing (1965)
    Boeing, Boeing
    6.4
    • Bertha
    • 1965
  • Doris Day, Polly Bergen, and James Garner in Move Over, Darling (1963)
    Move Over, Darling
    6.9
    • Grace Arden
    • 1963
  • A New Kind of Love (1963)
    A New Kind of Love
    5.7
    • Lena O'Connor
    • 1963
  • Kirk Douglas, Mitzi Gaynor, Julie Newmar, and Leslie Parrish in For Love or Money (1963)
    For Love or Money
    6.1
    • Chloe Brasher
    • 1963
  • How the West Was Won (1962)
    How the West Was Won
    7.1
    • Agatha Clegg
    • 1962
  • John McIntire in Wagon Train (1957)
    Wagon Train
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Madame Delphine Sagittarius
    • 1962
  • "Birdman of Alcatraz" (Saul Bass Poster) 1962
    Birdman of Alcatraz
    7.8
    • Elizabeth Stroud
    • 1962
  • Debbie Reynolds, Steve Forrest, Andy Griffith, and Juliet Prowse in The Second Time Around (1961)
    The Second Time Around
    6.5
    • Aggie Gates
    • 1961
  • John Derek, Richard Jaeckel, and Chill Wills in Frontier Circus (1961)
    Frontier Circus
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Bertha Marie Beecher
    • 1961
  • Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift in The Misfits (1961)
    The Misfits
    7.2
    • Isabelle Steers
    • 1961
  • Startime (1959)
    Startime
    6.4
    TV Series
    • Mrs. Gillis
    • 1960
  • Ronald Reagan in General Electric Theater (1953)
    General Electric Theater
    6.7
    TV Series
    • Doris Green
    • 1960
  • Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall, and Thelma Ritter in Pillow Talk (1959)
    Pillow Talk
    7.4
    • Alma
    • 1959

Soundtrack



  • Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart in The Entertainers (1964)
    The Entertainers
    8.1
    TV Series
    • performer: "Flings"
    • 1964
  • A New Kind of Love (1963)
    A New Kind of Love
    5.7
    • performer: "Cancan"
    • 1963
  • Betty Grable and Dale Robertson in The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953)
    The Farmer Takes a Wife
    5.3
    • performer: "We're Doing It for the Natives of Jamaica" (1953), "I Could Cook" (1953) (uncredited)
    • 1953
  • Marilyn Monroe, Constance Bennett, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter, David Wayne, and Monty Woolley in As Young as You Feel (1951)
    As Young as You Feel
    6.5
    • performer: "Born to Be Kissed" (uncredited)
    • 1951

Videos11

Trailer
Trailer 2:28
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:39
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:39
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:03
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:48
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:11
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:54
Official Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 1″ (1.55 m)
  • Born
    • February 14, 1902
    • Brooklyn, New York, USA
  • Died
    • February 5, 1969
    • New York, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • Joseph MoranApril 21, 1927 - February 5, 1969 (her death, 2 children)
  • Children
    • Monica Moran
  • Parents
      Charles Vaname Ritter
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (as "Miss Batterson"; Broadway debut) in "The Shelf" on Broadway. Comedy/drama. Written by Dorrance Davis. Directed / produced by William B. Friedlander. Morosco Theatre: 27 Sep 1926-Oct 1926 (closing date unknown/32 performances). Cast: A.S. 'Pop' Byron (as "U.S. Sen. Risdale"), Louis Kimball (as "Stanley Risdale"), Lawrence Leslie (as "Baldwin Custard"), Lottie Linthicum (as "Mrs. Plummer"), Donald Meek (as "The Rev. Herbert Chetswold"), Lee Patrick (as "Caroline Wendham"), Jessie Ralph (as "Emma Smith"), Frances Starr (as "Stella Amaranth"), Frederick Truesdell (as John Wendham"), Leah Winslow (as "Mrs. Chetswold").
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    She and Deborah Kerr have the curious distinction of being Oscar-nominated six times each in competitive categories - without ever winning the coveted statuette. Her six nominations were in supporting roles, a record number that still stands in that category, and Kerr's six nominations were for leading roles. As of 2021, Glenn Close has been nominated eight times, four in leading roles and four in supporting roles, and still has not won the Oscar.
  • Quotes
    [on being nominated for Best Supporting Actress four times in a row] Now I know what it feels like to be the bridesmaid and never the bride.
  • Salaries
      Pillow Talk
      (1959)
      $30 .000

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Thelma Ritter die?
    February 5, 1969
  • How did Thelma Ritter die?
    Heart attack
  • How old was Thelma Ritter when she died?
    66 years old
  • Where did Thelma Ritter die?
    New York, USA
  • When was Thelma Ritter born?
    February 14, 1902

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.