Jessie Ralph
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jessie Ralph (born Jessie Ralph Chambers, November 5, 1864 – May 30, 1944) was an American stage and screen actress, best known for her matronly roles in many classic motion pictures. She was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1864. She made her acting debut in 1880, at the age of sixteen. She made it to Broadway, where George M. Cohan cast her in many of his musicals, but she also excelled at dramatic roles. Although she made her Hollywood debut in 1916, in a motion picture career that would eventually span 25 years, she only became a permanent Hollywood actress in 1933. She was nearly 70 at this time, so her roles were limited to matronly roles, but her expertise at stealing scenes captured the imagination of cinema-goers of the time. Her best-known roles are as Greta Garbo's maid in Camille, as W.C. Fields' battle-axe of a mother-in-law in The Bank Dick, as Myrna Loy's supercilious aunt Katherine in After the Thin Man, and as Nurse Peggotty in David Copperfield. She starred in 55 movies altogether, 52 between 1933 and 1941. Jessie Ralph retired from Hollywood in 1941, after her leg was amputated. She died four years later in her home town of Gloucester at the age of 79. She was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Known For
MGM Parade
1955
Captain Blood
1935
Drums Along the Mohawk
1939
After the Thin Man
1936
Camille
1936
Mark of the Vampire
1935
They Met in Bombay
1941
David Copperfield
1935
San Francisco
1936
Les Misérables
1935
The Good Earth
1937
One Night of Love
1934
Filmography
MGM Parade
as self · 1955
Captain Blood
as Mrs. Barlow · 1935
Drums Along the Mohawk
as Mrs. Weaver · 1939
After the Thin Man
as Katherine Forrest · 1936
Camille
as Nanine · 1936
Mark of the Vampire
as Midwife · 1935
They Met in Bombay
as Duchess of Beltravers · 1941
David Copperfield
as Clara Peggotty · 1935
San Francisco
as Mrs. Maisie Burley · 1936
Les Misérables
as Madame Magloire · 1935
The Good Earth
as Cuckoo · 1937
One Night of Love
as Angelina · 1934
The Blue Bird
as Fairy Berylune · 1940
Little Lord Fauntleroy
as Applewoman · 1936
Evelyn Prentice
as Mrs. Blake · 1934
The Bank Dick
as Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch · 1940
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
as The Duchess of Ebley · 1937
Double Wedding
as Mrs. Kensington-Bly · 1937
I Live My Life
as Mrs. O.H.B. Gage, Kay's Grandmother · 1935
Murder at the Vanities
as Mrs. Helene Smith · 1934
The Garden Murder Case
as Mrs. Hammle · 1936
The Romance of Celluloid
as Self · 1937
I Want a Divorce
as Grandma Brokaw · 1940
Love Is a Headache
as Sheriff Janet Winfield · 1938
The Kid From Texas
as Aunt Minetta · 1939
Ann Carver's Profession
as Terry · 1933
The Affairs of Cellini
as Beatrice · 1934
I Found Stella Parish
as Nana · 1935
Port of Seven Seas
as Honorine · 1938
Four Girls in White
as Miss Tobias · 1939
The Lady from Cheyenne
as Mrs. McGuinness · 1941
Elmer, the Great
as Sarah Crosby (uncredited) · 1933
Enchanted April
as Mrs. Phoebe Fisher · 1935
The Girl from Avenue A
as Mrs. Van Dyne · 1940
Walking on Air
as Evelyn Bennett · 1936
I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby
as Mama McGann · 1940
Vanessa: Her Love Story
as Lady Mullion · 1935
We Live Again
as Matrona Pavlovna · 1934
St. Louis Blues
as Aunt Tibbie · 1939
The Madonna of the Slums
· 1919
Hold That Kiss
as Aunt Lucy · 1938
Such a Little Queen
as Mary · 1921
The Unguarded Hour
as Lady Agatha Hathaway · 1936
Nana
as Zoe · 1934
Cocktail Hour
as Princess · 1933
Cafe Society
as Mrs. De Witt · 1939
Child of Manhattan
as Aunt Minnie · 1933
Paris in Spring
as Countess de Charelle · 1935
Bunker Bean
as Grandmother · 1936
Coming Out Party
as Nora · 1934
Jalna
as Gran Whiteoaks · 1935
Mickey the Kid
as Veronica Hudson · 1939
Star Dust
as Aunt Martha Parker · 1940
Yellow Dust
as Mrs. Brian · 1936
Metropolitan
as Charwoman · 1935