Ruth McDevitt (September 13, 1895 - May 27, 1976)

Ruth McDevitt was another in the long line dependable character actors who could always be counted on to play a mother, grandmother, nosy neighbor, best friend or wealthy society matron. In the earliest days of television she appeared in one of the mediums very first day time soap operas "A Woman to Remember" which began in 1949. Also that year she appeared as Aunt Martha Brewster in "The Ford Theatre Hour" production of "Arsenic and Old Lace." The episode originally aired on April 11, 1949. Her other television credits include but are not limited to "Toast of the Town", "Suspense", "The Billy Rose Show", "Kraft Television Theatre", "Robert Montgomery Presents", "Studio One", "The United States Steel Hour", "Dr. Kildare", "Route 66", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Ghost & Mrs. Muir", "The Debbie Reynolds Show", "I Dream of Jeannie", "Mayberry R.F.D.", "The Courtship of Eddie's Father", "Ironside", "That Girl", "Here's Lucy", "Bewitched", "The New Andy Griffith Show", "Love, American Style", "Mannix", "The New Dick Van Dyke Show", "Kojak", "McCloud", "Little House on the Prairie", "Gunsmoke", "Marcus Welby, M.D.", "The Rookies", "Emergency!", "All in the Family", "Phyllis", "Ellery Queen" and "Medical Center." She also held regular roles on three different television shows. From 1953 to 1955 she played Ma Peepers on the Wally Cox sitcom "Mister Peepers", from 1966 to 1967 she played Grandma Effie Hanks on "Pistols 'n' Petticoats" and from 1974 to 1975 she played Emily Cowes on "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." She made a brief appearance as Tippi Hedren's pet shop co-worker in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Birds in 1963. Some of her other film appearances include Mame, The Long, Long Trailer, The Love God? and Angel in My Pocket. Ruth's final acting performance was in the made for television movie "The Cheerleaders" which aired on August 2, 1976, four months after her passing.