---
name: "Ruth Attaway"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ruth-attaway"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "28 June 1910"
died: "21 September 1987"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T11:21:19.336963+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ruth Attaway

Actor. Born 28 June 1910 in Greenville, Mississippi, USA. Died 21 September 1987.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 28 June 1910, Greenville, Mississippi, USA
- **Died:** 21 September 1987

## Biography

Ruth Attaway was an American stage and film actress. Born on 28 June 1910 in Greenville, Mississippi, she graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in sociology and made her Broadway debut in 1936 in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play *You Can't Take It with You*.

She was the first director of the New York Players Guild, a Black repertory theatre company, and later performed with the Repertory Society of Lincoln Center. Her film roles included Moll in *The President's Lady* (1953), an uncredited part in *Raintree County* (1957), Serena Robbins in *Porgy and Bess* (1959), Edna in *Conrack* (1974), the Mayor's Nurse in *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* (1974), and Louise in *Being There* (1979). She also appeared in the 1978 television film *The Bermuda Depths* as Delia.

Attaway was married to Allan Morrison, an editor of *Ebony* magazine, until his death in 1968. She died in New York City on 21 September 1987.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Being There* (1979), Fi1m 84, as Louise — [page](https://film.one/film/being-there.md)

## Also known for

- *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* (1974), Mayor's Nurse
- *Raintree County* (1957), Parthenia (uncredited)
- *Conrack* (1974), Edna

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/ruth-attaway