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IMDbPro

Ruth Taylor(1908-1984)

  • Actress
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Ruth Taylor
Ruth Alice Taylor was born on January 13, 1905 (some sources say 1908) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When she was a child her family moved to Oregon. At the age of nineteen Ruth went to Hollywood and started her career as an extra at Universal Studios. In 1925 she signed a two year contract with Mack Sennett and became one of his bathing beauties. With her perky smile and blonde spit curls Ruth quickly became one of Sennett's most popular actresses. She had supporting roles in several comedies including A Yankee Doodle Duke and The Pride Of Pikeville. Ruth was nicknamed "The Little Girl With A Big Personality".

In 1928 she beat out dozens of other actresses for the role of Lorelei Lee in the film version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. That same year she was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars. Ruth was offered a contract at Paramount and starred in the comedy The College Coquette. In 1930 she married stockbroker Paul Steinberg Zuckerman and had a son. She decided to quit making movies and became a housewife. Her final acting role was in the comedy short Scrappily Married. Ruth and Paul lived in Palm Springs and were happily married until his death in 1965. Their son, Buck Henry, became a successful screenwriter. Ruth died on April 12, 1984 at the age of seventy-nine. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.
BornJanuary 13, 1908
DiedApril 12, 1984(76)
BornJanuary 13, 1908
DiedApril 12, 1984(76)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win total

Photos22

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Known for

Anita Loos, Chester Conklin, John Emerson, Ford Sterling, and Alice White in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
  • Lorelei Lee
  • 1928
Ben Turpin in A Blonde's Revenge (1926)
A Blonde's Revenge
6.5
Short
  • Ruth Brown
  • 1926
Alice Day, Danny O'Shea, and Eddie Quillan in Hesitating Horses (1926)
Hesitating Horses
Short
  • Ruth Brown
  • 1926
Eddie Clayton, William Collier Jr., John Holland, Maurice Murphy, Edward Peil Jr., and Ruth Taylor in The College Coquette (1929)
The College Coquette
5.3
  • Betty Forrester
  • 1929

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress



  • Trapped
    TV Series
    • 1950
  • Scrappily Married
    Short
    • 1930
  • Constance Bennett and Edmund Lowe in This Thing Called Love (1929)
    This Thing Called Love
    5.9
    • Dolly
    • 1929
  • Eddie Clayton, William Collier Jr., John Holland, Maurice Murphy, Edward Peil Jr., and Ruth Taylor in The College Coquette (1929)
    The College Coquette
    5.3
    • Betty Forrester
    • 1929
  • A Hint to Brides (1929)
    A Hint to Brides
    6.5
    Short
    • The Newlywed Wife
    • 1929
  • Just Married (1928)
    Just Married
    • Roberta
    • 1928
  • Anita Loos, Chester Conklin, John Emerson, Ford Sterling, and Alice White in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928)
    Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
    • Lorelei Lee
    • 1928
  • Smith's Modiste Shop
    Short
    • Minor Role (uncredited)
    • 1927
  • For Sale, a Bungalow
    Short
    • The Stenographer
    • 1927
  • Alma Bennett and Ben Turpin in Daddy Boy (1927)
    Daddy Boy
    Short
    • Basketball Girl
    • 1927
  • The College Kiddo
    Short
    • Ruth Albright - Eddie's Sweetheart
    • 1927
  • Cured in the Excitement (1927)
    Cured in the Excitement
    Short
    • Nurse
    • 1927
  • Ben Turpin in The Pride of Pikeville (1927)
    The Pride of Pikeville
    6.0
    Short
    • Ruth Hawkins
    • 1927
  • William McCall, Dave Morris, and Ben Turpin in Broke in China (1927)
    Broke in China
    5.7
    Short
    • Ruth - Donald's Sweetheart
    • 1927
  • A Dozen Socks
    6.5
    Short
    • Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
    • 1927

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 2″ (1.57 m)
  • Born
    • January 13, 1908
    • Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
  • Died
    • April 12, 1984
    • Palm Springs, California, USA(undisclosed)
  • Spouse
    • Paul Steinberg ZuckermanMarch 17, 1930 - December 3, 1965 (his death, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Buck Henry
  • Parents
      Norman C. Taylor
  • Publicity listings
    • 6 Articles
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Taylor was the original blue-eyed, gold-digging Lorelei Lee, playing the leading role in the silent movie version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1928). During the search for Lorelei Lee, fans sent 14,000 letters to Paramount Pictures. Each suggested a choice of an actress for the role. In return, every fan was mailed a photo of Ruth when she was selected for the part. It was the largest shipment of pictures of one person ever shipped from Hollywood. She was selected by its author, Anita Loos. Taylor was later a 1928 Wampas Baby Star.

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