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Ruth Cummings

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Ruth Cummings
Ruth Cummings in 1922
Born
Ruth D. Sinclair

April 4, 1894
Washington, D.C., US
DiedDecember 6, 1984(1984-12-06) (aged 90)
Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, actress
Spouse
(m. 1917; died 1959)
ChildrenIrving Cummings Jr.

Ruth Cummings (originally credited under her maiden name, Ruth Sinclair) was an American screenwriter and actress active from the 1910s through the 1930s. She was married to actor-director Irving Cummings in 1917, and they had a son, screenwriter Irving Cummings Jr.[1][2]

Biography

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Cummings was born in Washington, D.C., to actor Henry Dupree Sinclair and his wife, Lillie Schreiner. She followed in her father's footsteps and took to the stage, performing in plays around the D.C. area and eventually winning parts on Broadway.[3]

She eventually began appearing in silent films in the 1910s, rising to leading lady status by the 1920s when she won the lead role in 1922's The Masquerader. After marrying Irving Cummings (who she had worked with on films like 1917's A Man's Law), she became Ruth Cummings and began writing titles at MGM.[4]

She worked at MGM for many years, and she once told a reporter that she got most of her ideas while drinking chocolate sodas.[5][6][7] She appears to have retired after 1935's The Perfect Tribute.

She remained married to Cummings until his death in 1959, and she died on December 6, 1984, in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the neighborhood of Woodland Hills.[8]

Selected filmography

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Post and Cummings in The Masquerader

As writer:

As actress:

References

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  1. ^ "14 Sep 1932, 5 - The Billings Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  2. ^ Photoplay: The Aristocrat of Motion Picture Magazines. Photoplay Magazine Publishing Company. 1917.
  3. ^ "26 Aug 1913, Page 8 - The Washington Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  4. ^ "27 Oct 1917, Page 23 - The Ogden Standard at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  5. ^ "15 May 1928, 34 - The San Francisco Examiner at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  6. ^ "1 Dec 1927, 38 - Daily News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  7. ^ "26 Feb 1928, 137 - Daily News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  8. ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001-05-01). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. ISBN 9780786409839.
  9. ^ "4 Jan 1916, Page 3 - The Town Talk at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  10. ^ "20 Apr 1913, Page 9 - The Washington Herald at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  11. ^ "4 Jan 1916, Page 3 - The Town Talk at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
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