Biography
Thelma Ruby is a British actress. Born Thelma Wigoder on 23 March 1925 in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, she grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family. Her mother, Paula Ruby, was a singer and actress; her father, Louis Wigoder, was a dentist originally from Lithuania. Evacuated with her mother to the United States during the Second World War, she trained at Finch College in New York and later worked with ENSA entertaining servicemen.
Ruby has had a long career in theatre, radio, television and film. She is known for stage roles including Shakespearean parts, Golde in Fiddler on the Roof and appearances alongside Judi Dench in Cabaret, as well as co-adapting and performing the one-woman show Momma Golda about Golda Meir. Her screen credits include Miss Breith in Room at the Top (1958), roles in series such as Coronation Street, EastEnders, Dad's Army and Bad Move, and Great Auntie Renee in the 2024 film Back to Black.
She was married to actor and director Peter Frye from 1971 until his death in 1991.
