Biography
Ruth Nelson, also credited as Ruth Gloria Nelson, was an American stage and film actress. Born in Saginaw, Michigan, she trained at the American Laboratory Theatre in New York and became a charter member of the Group Theatre in the 1930s, appearing in productions including the original cast of Clifford Odets' Waiting for Lefty (1935).
She made her film debut in the 1940s and appeared in supporting roles in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Humoresque (1947), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) and Arch of Triumph (1948). Blacklisted in the 1950s, she returned to film in the 1970s with roles in 3 Women (1977), The Late Show (1977) and A Wedding (1978). Her final screen appearance was as Mrs. Lowe in Awakenings (1990).
Nelson was married to actor William Challee and later to director John Cromwell, with whom she appeared in several productions; she was stepmother to actor James Cromwell. She died in New York City in 1992.
