Ruth Etting American actress and singer Date of Birth: 23.11.1897 Country: USA

Biography of Ruth Etting

Ruth Etting, an American actress and singer, was born in 1897 in David City, Nebraska. Her parents were Alfred Etting and Winifred Kleinhan. Unfortunately, Ruth's mother passed away when she was only five years old, and she spent her childhood under the care of her grandparents, George and Hannah Etting. Ruth's father, after remarrying, left the city and disappeared from her life.

At the age of 17, Ruth left David City and went to study at an art school in Chicago. She initially started working as a costume designer at a nightclub called "Marigold Gardens" and later secured a job as a singer and dancer in the chorus. Becoming quite popular within the establishment, Ruth soon married the well-known gangster Martin "Moe the Gimp" Snyder on July 12, 1922. Snyder also became her manager and helped her secure a contract with Columbia Records.

In 1927, Ruth made her Broadway debut in "Ziegfeld Follies". During that period, she also appeared in several other shows and productions such as "Simple Simon" and "Whoopee!". Between 1929 and 1936, Ruth appeared in a significant number of short films and a few full-length movies in Hollywood. Some of her most notable films during that time include "Mr. Broadway" and "Roman Scandals" in 1933, as well as "Hips, Hips, Hooray!" and "Gift of Gab" in 1934.

In 1937, at the age of 40, Ruth divorced Martin and fell in love with pianist Myrl Alderman, who was almost ten years younger than her. In 1938, her ex-husband shot and injured Alderman, resulting in his conviction and charges of attempted murder. However, he was released after a year. Ruth and Myrl still got married but did not have any children. The scandal surrounding this incident almost ended Ruth's acting career, and she did not make any significant appearances after that. She briefly appeared on the radio in the second half of 1947, but her former fame had faded.

Throughout her career, Ruth appeared in about thirty films, most of which were short films. She was known for her beauty and sensual voice, making her a "singing actress." She sang dozens of hit songs, including "Shine On Harvest Moon," "Ten Cents a Dance," "Love Me or Leave Me," "Button Up Your Overcoat," and "Mean to Me."

Ruth's second husband passed away in 1966, and she lived until the age of 80. She died on September 24, 1978, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.