Ruth Dwyer
Ruth Mildred Dwyer (January 25, 1898 – March 2, 1978) was an American film actress. She had a number of starring roles in the silent era, most famously as Buster Keaton's leading lady in Seven Chances (1925). Dwyer mostly retired in 1928 and played a number of uncredited roles in sound films, but retired from the film business completely in the 1940s.
Ruth Dwyer
Hallmark Pictures Corporation · Motion Picture News (Mar. - Jun. 1920) at the Internet Archive · Public domain
- Name
- Ruth Dwyer
- Birth Name
- Ruth Mildred Dwyer
- Born
- January 25, 1898
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
- Died
- March 2, 1978 (aged 80)
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actress
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ruth Dwyer • Birth Name — Ruth Mildred Dwyer • Born — January 25, 1898 • Birthplace — Brooklyn, New York, U.S. • Died — March 2, 1978 (aged 80) • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1919 - 1943 (film)
Early life and career
Early life and career
Dwyer was the eldest of two daughters born to Lydia Hope Strong and Christian A. Dwyer. Her sister Ethel Selina Dwyer also had a brief silent film career although best known as "Jane" opposite Ronald Adair in the 1921 Broadway production of Tarzan of the Apes. Dwyer initially acted in school productions in Brooklyn, after which she and her sister performed on stage. A "test for motion pictures" resulted in her going to Hollywood to pursue work in films. Dwyer's entertainment career began with her working as a dancer in New York. Her performance in the chorus line in an off-Broadway production in 1919 led to her going to Hollywood. Her film debut came in the serial The Evil Eye. After a marriage and divorce, Dwyer was married to actor and talent agent William Jackie until his death in 1954. They operated the Ruth Dwyer Agency in San Francisco, helping people obtain parts in films and television shows. Dwyer died on March 2, 1978, at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• The Evil Eye (1920) • The Stealers (1920) • Clay Dollars (1921) • Second Hand Love (1923) • His Mystery Girl (1923) • After a Million (1924) • Broadway or Bust (1924) • Jack O'Clubs (1924) • The Reckless Age (1924) • Dark Stairways (1924) • The Covered Trail (1924) • Cornered (1924) • The Gambling Fool (1925) • Going the Limit (1925) • Seven Chances (1925) • The Fear Fighter (1925) • Crack o' Dawn (1925) • The Canvas Kisser (1925) • White Fang (1925) • The Patent Leather Pug (1926) • Stepping Along (1926) • The Brown Derby (1926) • A Man of Quality (1926) • A Hero for a Night (1927) • The Lost Limited (1927) • White Pants Willie (1927) • The Racing Fool (1927) • The Nest (1927) • A Perfect Gentleman (1928) • Sailors' Wives (1928) • Alex the Great (1928)
Photograph of the cast of the American adventure film White Fang (1925). Left to right: Ruth Dwyer, Strongheart, Theodore von Eltz
Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation / Film Booking Offices of America · The Moving Picture World, April 25, 1925 (Volume 73, Number 8, page 768)
Ruth Dwyer Abstract/medium: 1 negative: glass; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.
Bain News Service, publisher · Library of Congress Catalog: https: Image download: https: Original url
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1898
Ruth Dwyer was born on 25 January 1898.
1978
Ruth Dwyer died on 2 March 1978.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Ruth Dwyer (actress), revision 1372051168 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Munden p. 390
- 2.Vancheri, Barbara (September 4, 1985). "Ethel Dwyer McGrady, played 'Jane' in 'Tarzan'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 18. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- 3."New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909", FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W4H-DQL : 11 February 2018), Ruth Mildred Dwyer, 25 Feb 1898; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 2502 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,984,285.
- 4."United States Census, 1900", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSP3-5F9 : Wed Jul 17 10:58:57 UTC 2024), Entry for Christan Dwyer and Lydia H Dwyer, 1900.
- 5."United States Census, 1910", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MP1H-4C3 : Sun Mar 10 22:05:57 UTC 2024), Entry for Christian A Dwyer and Lydia H Dwyer, 1910.
- 6.Nevin, Susan B. Former Movie Actress Visits. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 16. January 9, 1958.
- 7.Trabing, Wally. Mostly about People: Chat With A Pre-Talkie Star. Santa Cruz Sentinel. 14. July 25, 1974.
- 8.Trabing, Wally. Former Silent Screen Actress Makes Her Home In Santa Cruz, Still Active. Santa Cruz Sentinel. 10. May 8, 1958.
- 9.William Jackie. The New York Times. 23. September 20, 1954.
- 10.Ruth Dwyer. AllMovie.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Munden, Kenneth White. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1. University of California Press, 1997.
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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