---
name: "Ruth Cracknell"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ruth-cracknell"
fi1m_id: "ruth-cracknell"
imdb_id: "nm0185635"
tmdb_id: 221730
wikidata_id: "Q7382932"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "6 July 1925"
died: "13 May 2002"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-26T00:29:00.642140+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 Cracknell

## Identity

Ruth Cracknell

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/ruth-cracknell
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** ruth-cracknell
- **IMDb ID:** nm0185635
- **TMDB ID:** 221730
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7382932
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Cracknell, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7382932, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0185635/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/221730

Actor. Born 6 July 1925 in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. Died 13 May 2002.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 6 July 1925, Maitland, New South Wales, Australia
- **Died:** 13 May 2002
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Cracknell, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7382932, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0185635/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/221730

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith*](https://film.one/film/the-chant-of-jimmie-blacksmith.md) (80)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Ruth Cracknell was an Australian actress whose career spanned radio, theatre, television and film from the mid-1940s until her death. She was born Ruth Winifred Cracknell on 6 July 1925 in Maitland, New South Wales, and died in Sydney on 13 May 2002.

She trained in Sydney and performed with companies including the John Alden Company, appearing in Shakespearean roles such as those in *King Lear*, *Measure for Measure* and *The Tempest*. Her film credits include *Smiley Gets a Gun* (1958), *The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith* (1978) as Mrs. Heather Newby, *The Night the Prowler* (1978) and *Lilian's Story* (1996). On television she was best known for playing Maggie Beare in the ABC series *Mother and Son* (1984–1994).

Cracknell was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia and was the first woman inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame. She published two autobiographical books, *A Biased Memoir* (1997) and *Journey from Venice* (2000).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, aso.gov.au, imdb.com, rottentomatoes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith* (1978), Fi1m 80, as Mrs. Heather Newby — [page](https://film.one/film/the-chant-of-jimmie-blacksmith.md)

## Complete filmography (17)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Scree* (2004), as Narrator
- *Joey* (1997), as Sylvia Vanderberg
- *Lilian's Story* (1996), as Lilian Singer
- *Spider and Rose* (1994), as Rose Dougherty
- *Kokoda Crescent* (1989), as Alice
- *The Maitland & Morpeth String Quartet* (1989), as Narrator
- *Emerald City* (1988), as Elaine Ross
- *The Nights Belong to the Novelist* (1987), Actor
- *Mother and Son* (1984), series, as Maggie Beare
- *Molly* (1983), as Mrs. Reach
- *The Dismissal* (1983), series, as Margaret Whitlam
- *The Best of Friends* (1982), as Iris
- *The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith* (1978), as Mrs. Heather Newby — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-chant-of-jimmie-blacksmith.md)
- *The Night, the Prowler* (1978), as Doris Bannister
- *The Singer and the Dancer* (1977), as Mrs. Bilson
- *That Lady from Peking* (1975), as Fortune Teller
- *Smiley Gets a Gun* (1958), as Mrs Gaspen

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Member of the Order of Australia 1980: Member of the Order of Australia (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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-cracknell