Moesel, Ruth

Ruth Chatterton was an American actress, novelist, aviatrix, director and translator. Chatterton was born in New York City on December 24, 1893 to a family of good social standing. Her father's family was descended from the poet Thomas Chatterton. Her parents' divorce left Ruth and her mother badly off. There are many different stories of how her stage debut came about, but the fact remains that at age 14 she joined a touring company in Washington D.C.

Chatterton made her Broadway debut in 1911 in The Great Name, produced by Henry W. Savage. Her second play, The Rainbow (1912), was produced by Henry Miller, who became a mentor for the young actress. Though Chatterton had received good reviews and attention from the press for her first two plays, her next, Daddy Long Legs (1914), made her a star. Her reign as a Broadway star lasted through the next decade and in the late 1920s she moved to Los Angeles to work there in theater.

...