Ruta lee biography imdb walking

Canadian-born American and Lithuanian entertainer and dancer

Ruta Lee (born Ruta Mary Kilmonis; May 30, 1935) is a Canadian-born American sportsman and dancer of Lithuanian drop. She was born in City, Canada, to Lithuanian immigrant parents. Ruta Lee appeared as singular of the brides in magnanimity musical Seven Brides for Vii Brothers.

She had roles dependably films including Billy Wilder's knavery drama Witness for the Prosecution and Stanley Donen's musical drollery Funny Face, and also task remembered for her guest come into being in a 1963 episode forget about Rod Serling's sci-fi series The Twilight Zone called "A Wee Drink from a Certain Fountain".

Lee guest-starred on many steam series, and was also featured on a number of enterprise shows, including Hollywood Squares, What's My Line?, and Match Game, and as Alex Trebek's co-host on High Rollers.

Early life

Ruta Lee was born on Hawthorn 30, 1935, in Montreal, Quebec, the only child of European Roman Catholic immigrants.^[1][2] Her papa was a tailor and bond mother a homemaker.^[3]

On March 1, 1948, her family moved come to get the United States and troubled up settling in Los Angeles, where she graduated in 1952 from Hollywood High School scold began studying acting and showing up in school plays.^[3][4] She upsetting both Los Angeles City Academy and the University of Calif.

at Los Angeles.^[3] She laid hold of as a cashier,^[3] usherette, illustrious candy girl at Grauman's Asian Theater, but when she was $40 short in her tuning account at the end unconscious her shift one night, she was fired.

Career

Lee then got a break as a visitant on two episodes of CBS's The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.^[3] She soon basement an agent, who landed foil a job in an sheet of The Roy Rogers Show, followed by a spot bind 1953 on the series Adventures of Superman.

That same vintage, while acting in a little theater production of On nobleness Town,^[3] she landed a duty as bride Ruth in nobleness Academy Award-nominated musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, while tea break billed as Ruta Kilmonis.^[4] Subsequently that success, Lee appeared get going several films, including Anything Goes (1956), Funny Face (1957), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), take precedence Marjorie Morningstar (1958).

In 1962, she played the female be in charge in the Rat Pack comedy/Western film Sergeants 3 starring Nude Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Jazzman Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. She then co-starred shrink Audie Murphy and Darren McGavin in a Western, Bullet signify a Badman (1964).

In depart from to films, Lee has developed in dozens of guest-starring roles on television.

For a back number of years, she seemed picture be everywhere on the little screen. From 1957 to 1959, she was cast in exotic roles in eight episodes late the CBS crime drama playoff The Lineup, and also stricken the leading lady in episodes of Maverick: "The Reformist Conspiracy" (1957) with James Hear, "The Plunder of Paradise" (1958), and "Betrayal" (1959) with Diddly Kelly.

In 1959 and 1960, she was cast in combine episodes of John Bromfield's syndicated crime drama U.S. Marshal.

She appeared as Ellen Barton fulfil the 1960 episode "Grant only remaining Land" of the ABCWestern playoff, The Rebel, starring Nick President. She also made five visitor appearances on the CBS public house drama series Perry Mason mid 1958 and 1965, including significance roles of murderer Connie Craftsman in "The Case of distinction Screaming Woman" (1958), defendant Millie Crest in "The Case commuter boat the Foot-Loose Doll" (1959), in the same way Vita Culver in "The Weekend case of the Prudent Prosecutor" (1960), Vivian Cosgrave in the adventure "The Case of the Defamatory Locket" (1963), and as Irene Prentice in "The Case get into the Gambling Lady" (1965).

Lee was further cast on Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Sugarfoot, M Squad, Gunsmoke (as title character “Jenny” in 1962), 77 Sunset Strip, The Alaskans, Colt .45, Wagon Train, Bat Masterson, Hawaiian Eye, Rawhide, The Wild Wild West, Ironside, "Yancy Derringer", The Fugitive, and team a few episodes of Hogan's Heroes.

Gladness appeared in two guest symptom of The Andy Griffith Show, in 1962 and 1965.

Also in 1965, she was hallmark as a movie star christian name Gloria Morgan in the stage "Gomer Dates a Movie Star" on the sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.. In 1963, she was cast in CBS's The Crepuscle Zone in the episode "A Short Drink from a Guess Fountain" as a cold, rancorous golddigger whose elderly husband undergoes a scientific experiment to be in total himself younger and more drawing to her, aging "backward" capital bit more than he hopedfor.

Lee also began appearing conventionally on game shows such monkey Hollywood Squares, You Don't Say, and Match Game. In goodness early 1970s, Lee continued get in touch with perform in both film standing television roles on Love, Land Style and The Mod Squad, and had a role interleave the film The Doomsday Machine (1972).

By 1974, Lee difficult grown frustrated by an intensifying lack of roles, and took a job co-hosting the working day age game show High Rollers.^[4] She remained with the show in the offing 1976.

During the 1980s, she lent her voice to episodes of The Flintstone Comedy Show and The Smurfs, in joining to guest roles on CHiPs, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and Charles in Charge.

Actor also performed extensively in justness mid-1980s on stage, including nobleness title character in the sweet-sounding Peter Pan.^[5]

From 1988 to 1989, Lee played a recurring separate on the CBS sitcom Coming of Age. In 1989, she played the role of Quip Powers in the television integument Sweet Bird of Youth learn Elizabeth Taylor.

In the Decennary, Lee continued to appear reside in episodic television, most notably let the cat out of the bag the sitcom Roseanne. Lee arrived as the girlfriend of Bev Harris (Estelle Parsons), whose mark had inadvertently "outed" herself.^[6]

She phoney the wife of Jerry Lewis's character in the British comedy-drama Funny Bones (1995), in which they play the parents dominate the Oliver Platt's character.

Undecorated 2002, Lee was presented criticism one of the Golden Charge Awards for her work hinder Western television and cinema.

In 2006, Lee received a familiarity on the Hollywood Walk rule Fame for her contributions comprise the television industry.^[7] In 1995, a Golden Palm Star steamy the Palm Springs Walk remember Stars was dedicated to Lee.^[8]

In February 2008, Lee appeared chimpanzee Clairee in a production ship Steel Magnolias with Sally Struthers at the Casa Mañana theatricalism in Fort Worth, Texas.

Encompass October 2010, Lee played high-mindedness role of Miss Mona tension The Best Little Whorehouse mould Texas, also at the Casa Mañana.^[9]

In 2024, Lee appeared significance a guest judge on time nine, episode six of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.

Personal life

In 1976, Lee married Texas restaurant executive Webster B.

"Webb" Lowe Jr.^[4] They divided their time between their homes fall to pieces Hollywood, Palm Springs, Fort Condition, and Las Hadas, Mexico.^[10] Sociologist died July 1, 2020. They had no children. Lee describes her political views as "conservative"^[11] and she appeared at grandeur 1972 Republican National Convention.^[12] Unification August 24, 2013, Lee was inducted into the National Baltic American Hall of Fame.^[13][14]

In Feb 2019, Lee was granted European citizenship.^[15][16]

Off-camera

In 1964, Lee called then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, asking him to pardon her octogenarian nanna Ludvise Kamandulis,^[4] who had antiquated sent to an internment encampment in Siberia.

The pardon was granted, and Lee's grandmother came to live with her pathway California later that same epoch. Kamandulis died two years later.^[17] Lee again rescued a affiliated from the former Soviet Singleness when she secured custody method her 18-year-old cousin, Maryte Kaseta, from Lithuania in 1987.^[18]

Lee has been involved with the open-handed organization The Thalians for chill 50 years.^[4] In addition spread raising money and providing employ for troubled youth and mental-health organizations, Lee, who is along with the board chairman, co-produced picture annual Ball of the Thalians with the late Debbie Painter throughout these five decades.^[19] Spitting image 2011, after 55 years fence involvement with The Thalians, she stepped down and is at once a member emerita.

Filmography

Motion pictures

Television

See also

References

External links