Precious Ruby

At 100, Thelma Ruby has acted on stage and screen for 80 years. Maureen Lipman first saw her as Prince Charming in 1953

'I've got ten grandchildren, never having had a baby, 52 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.' So says the fabulous actress, cabaret star and Oldie of the Year winner Thelma Ruby – formerly Thelma Widgoer of Leeds, and Thelma Frye after her marriage at to the late director and educator Peter Frye. She turns 100 on 23rd March. But, still, she recently had to learn a scene and audition five times, in person, for the Mexican director Alejandro Iñárritu for a part in a new Tom Cruise film. 'Don't think I got it after all that,' she laughs. I first saw Thelma in pantomime in Hull in 1953 as Prince Charming (right), when I was seven. My mother must have told me she was Jewish, like us, and I clocked that there…

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The Oldie (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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