Early life

Ruta Lee was born Ruta Mary Kilmonis in Montreal, Quebec, the only child of two Lithuanian immigrants. Her father was a tailor; her mother, a homemaker.

In 1948, her family moved to Los Angeles, California, where she graduated in 1954 from Hollywood High School and began studying acting and appearing in school plays. She attended both Los Angeles City College and the University of California at Los Angeles.

Lee worked as a cashier, an usherette, and a candy girl at Grauman's Chinese Theater, but when she was $40 short in her cash account at the end of her shift one night, she was fired.

Career

Lee then got a break as a guest on two episodes of CBS's The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. She soon found an agent, who landed her a job in an episode of the The Roy Rogers Show, followed by a spot in 1953 on the series Adventures of Superman. That same year, while acting in a small theater production of On the Town, she landed a role as bride Ruth in the Academy Award-nominated musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, still billed as Ruta Kilmonis.

After that success, Lee appeared in several films including Anything Goes (1956), Funny Face, Witness for the Prosecution (1957), and Marjorie Morningstar (1958) with Natalie Wood.

In 1962, Lee had the female lead in the Rat Pack comedy/western film Sergeants 3 along with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Peter Lawford. She then co-starred with Audie Murphy in a 1964 western, Bullet for a Badman.

In addition to films, Lee has appeared in dozens of guest-starring roles on television. For a number of years, she seemed to be everywhere on the screen. From 1957 to 1959, she was cast in different roles in eight episodes of the CBS crime drama television series, The Lineup. In 1959 and 1960, she was cast in four episodes of John Bromfield's syndicated crime drama, U.S. Marshal. Lee appeared as Ellen Barton in the 1960 episode "Grant of Land" of the ABC western series, The Rebel, starring Nick Adams. She also made five guest appearances on the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason between 1958 and 1965, including murderer Connie Cooper in "The Case of the Screaming Woman" (1958), and defendant Millie Crest in "The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll" (1959).

On December 10, 1962, Lee was cast as Lenore Walton Hanford in "Wanted for the Murder of Cheyenne Bodie", the penultimate episode of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Cheyenne, with Clint Walker in the starring role. In the story line, Bodie is mistaken for a notorious gunfighter and framed for his "own" murder. Others appearing in the episode are Richard Webb, Gregg Palmer, and Dick Foran.

In 1963, Lee guest starred as Lucy Tolliver in the twelfth episode "Enough Rope" of the NBC/WB western series, Temple Houston, with Jeffrey Hunter as an historical figure, the frontier lawyer Temple Lea Houston, youngest son of Sam Houston. Temple Houston was canceled after twenty-six weeks. Of Hunter, Lee said, "He was one of the prettiest people that ever was put on the screen, God, he was gorgeous."

Lee was further cast on Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Maverick, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Sugarfoot, M Squad, Gunsmoke, 77 Sunset Strip, The Alaskans, Colt .45, Wagon Train, Hawaiian Eye, Rawhide, The Wild Wild West, Ironside, The Fugitive and Hogan's Heroes. Lee appeared in two guest spots of The Andy Griffith Show in 1962 and 1965. In 1963, she was cast in CBS's Twilight Zone in the episode "A Short Drink From a Certain Fountain", as a woman whose elderly husband undergoes a scientific experiment and then ages backward.

Lee also began appearing regularly on game shows such as Hollywood Squares, You Don't Say and Match Game. In the early 1970s, Lee continued to perform in both films and television roles on Love, American Style, The Mod Squad, and a role in the 1972 film The Doomsday Machine. By 1974, Lee had grown frustrated by an increasing lack of roles, and took a job co-hosting the daytime game show High Rollers. She remained with the show until 1976.

During the 1980s, she lent her voice to episodes of The Flintstones Comedy Show and The Smurfs, in addition to guest roles on CHiPs, The Love Boat, and Charles in Charge. Lee also performed extensively in the mid 1980s on stage, including the title character in the musical Peter Pan.

From 1988 to 1989, Lee had a recurring role on the CBS sitcom, Coming of Age. In 1989, she played the role of Sally Powers in the TV movie Sweet Bird of Youth with Elizabeth Taylor. In the 1990s, Lee continued to appear in episodic television, most notably in the series Roseanne. Lee appeared as the girlfriend of Bev Harris (Estelle Parsons) whose character disclosed she was gay.

She played the wife of comedian Jerry Lewis in the 1995 British film Funny Bones, in which they play the parents of Oliver Platt.

In 2002, Lee was presented one of the Golden Boot Awards for her work in western television and cinema.

In 2006, Lee received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the television industry. In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to Lee.

In February 2008, Lee appeared as Clairee in a production of Steel Magnolias with Sally Struthers at the Casa Mañana theatre in Fort Worth, Texas. In October 2010, Lee played the role of Miss Mona in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, also at the Casa Mañana Theatre. She had previously played the role there in 1982. She appeared in 2012 in a small guest appearance on the long-running NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives.

Personal life

In 1976, Lee married Texas restaurant executive Webster B. "Webb" Lowe, Jr. They divide their time between their homes in Hollywood, Palm Springs, Fort Worth and Mexico. She has no children. Lee describes her political views as "conservative" and she appeared at the 1972 Republican National Convention.

Off-camera

In 1964, Lee called then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, asking him to pardon her grandmother Ludvise Kamandulis, who had been in an internment camp in Siberia since World War II. The pardon was granted, and Lee's grandmother came to live with her in California in 1964. Kamandulis died two years later. Lee again rescued a relative from the former Soviet Union when she secured custody of her 18-year-old cousin, Maryte Kaseta, from Lithuania in 1987.

Lee has been involved with the charitable organization "The Thalians" for over fifty years. In addition to raising money and providing services for troubled youth and mental health organizations, Lee, who is also the board chairman, has co-produced the annual Ball of the Thalians with Debbie Reynolds throughout those five decades. In 2011, she stepped down after 55 years of involvement with the Thalians, and is now an emeritus member.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	Seven Brides for Seven Brothers	Ruth	Credited as Ruta Kilmonis
1955	The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing	Tennis Girl	Uncredited
1955	The Twinkle in God's Eye	Ruthie
1956	Anything Goes	Girl	Uncredited
1956	Gaby	Denise
1957	Funny Face	Lettie
1957	Witness for the Prosecution	Diana
1958	Marjorie Morningstar	Imogene Norman
1961	Operation Eichmann	Anna Kemp
1962	Sergeants 3	Amelia Parent
1963	The Gun Hawk	Marleen
1963	Hootenanny Hoot	A.G. Bannister
1964	Bullet for a Badman	Lottie	Alternative title: Renegade Posse
1965	Invisible Diplomats	Connie Wisner
1972	Doomsday Machine	Dr. Marion Turner	Alternative title: Escape from Planet Earth
1983	Rooster: Spurs of Death!	Gayly
1983	Cracking Up	Ms. Sultry (Voice)	Alternative title: Smorgasbord
1994	Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills	Mrs. Poole
1995	Funny Bones	Laura Fawkes
2001	Pretty When You Cry	Antique Store Patron	Alternative title: Seduced: Pretty When You Cry
2004	Quiet Kill	Doris	Alternative title: Nightmare Boulevard
2006	Sadie and the Slot Machines	Sadie Silver
2007	Christmas Too Many, AA Christmas Too Many	Grandma	Direct-to-DVD release
2011	Forever Young at Heart	Shelley Felgerstein
2013	For Better or for Worse

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1950	Adventures of Superman	Teenager	Episode: "My Friend Superman" Credited as Rita Kilmonis
1952-1957	Schlitz Playhouse of Stars	Various roles	2 episodes
1953-1955	Burns and Allen	Various roles	2 episodes
1954	Lux Video Theatre	Marion	Episode: "I'll Never Love Again"
1955	Science Fiction Theatre	Student	Episode: "The Unexplored"
1955-1956	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Various roles	2 episodes
1956	I Led Three Lives	Louise Burke	Episode: "New Member"
1956	Dragnet		Episode: "The Big Daughter"
1957	Highway Patrol	Lea Franklin	Episode: "Armored Car"
1957	Suspicion	Betty	Episode: "The Story of Marjorie Reardon"
1957	Captain David Grief	Rose	Episode: "The Affair at Les Trois Magots"
1957-1959	Maverick	Various roles	3 episodes
1957-1959	The Lineup	Various roles	8 episodes
1958	The Gray Ghost		Episode: "Contraband"
1958	Playhouse 90		Episode: "The Right Hand Man"
1958	The Walter Winchell File	Joan	Episode: "The Dice of Fortune: File #34"
1958	Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer	Various roles	2 episodes
1958	Man with a Camera	Dolly MacDermott	Episode: "Second Avenue Assassin"
1958	Rescue 8	Ann Dagget	Episode: "The Cage"
1958	December Bride	Carol Hodges	Episode: "Bride's Father-in-Law"
1958-1959	Sugarfoot	Various roles	2 episodes
1958-1960	M Squad	Various roles	3 episodes
1958-1962	Gunsmoke	Various roles	2 episodes
1958-1964	77 Sunset Strip	Various roles	5 episodes
1958-1965	Perry Mason	Various roles	5 episodes
1959	Yancy Derringer	Romilly Vale	Episode: "Two of a Kind"
1959	The Restless Gun	Lucy Collins	Episode: "The Painted Beauty"
1959	Peter Gunn	Marie Gipson	Episode: "Edie Finds a Corpse"
1959	The Millionaire	Angela Temple	Episode: "Millionaire Angela Temple"
1959	Richard Diamond, Private Detective	Louise	Episode: "Jukebox"
1959	Bat Masterson	Nellie Fontana	Episode: "The Death of Bat Masterson"
1959	Alcoa Theatre	Emily Meadows	Episode: "Medals for Harry"
1959	The Lawless Years	Gloria Fallon	Episode: "The Payoff"
1959	Markham	Tammy Miles	Episode: "The Duelists"
1959	Johnny Stacatto	Dee Dee	Episode: "The Naked Truth"
1959	Tightrope	Laura	Episode: "Stand on Velvet"
1959	Whirlybirds	Ginny	Episode: "Mr. Jinx"
1959	Hennesey	Ruth Thomas	Episode: "Hennesey and Peyton Place"
1959	The Man from Blackhawk	Ginnie Thompson	Episode: "The Legacy"
1959-1960	Sheriff of Cochise (also known as United States Marshal)	Various roles	4 episodes
1959-1960	The Alaskans	Various roles	2 episodes
1959-1960	Colt .45	Various roles	2 episodes
1959-1963	Wagon Train	Various roles	2 episodes
1960	Shotgun Slade	Lilly Cody	Episode: "Killer's Brand"
1960	The Rebel	Ellen Barton	Episode: "Grant of Land"
1960-1961	Hawaiian Eye	Various roles	3 episodes
1961	The Tab Hunter Show		Episode: "Turnabout"
1961	Michael Shayne	Naomi Lester	Episode: "Spotlight On a Corpse"
1961	Dante	Peggy Braddock	Episode: "Dante's Fickle Fate"
1961	The Brothers Brannagan	Lynn	Episode: "Shot in the Dark"
1961	The Case of the Dangerous Robin		Episode: "Brink of Disaster"
1961	Zane Grey Theater	Jenny Aldrich	Episode: "Man from Everywhere"
1961	Harrigan and Son	Rose	Episode: "The Legacy"
1961	Stagecoach West	Various roles	2 episodes
1961	Laramie	Opal Crane	Episode: "Siege at Jubilee"
1962	Outlaws	Jennie	Episode: "Farewell Performance"
1962	Poor Mr. Campbell	Priscilla Edwards	Television film
1962	Cheyenne	Lenore Walton Hanford	Episode: "Wanted for the Murder of Cheyenne Bodie"
1962	The Dick Powell Show	Eva Gobel	Episode: "Crazy Sunday"
1962-1963	Rawhide	Various roles	2 episodes
1962-1965	The Andy Griffith Show	Various roles	2 episodes
1963	Bonanza	Rita Marlow	Episode: "A Woman Lost"
1963	Arrest and Trial	Colleen Riley	Episode: "Call It a Lifetime"
1963	Twilight Zone, TheThe Twilight Zone	Flora Gordon	Episode: "A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain"
1963	Temple Houston	Lucy Tolliver	Episode: "Enough Rope"
1963	Fractured Flickers	Herself	Episode 20
1964	Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, TheThe Travels of Jaimie McPheeters	Zoe Pigalle	Episode: "The Day of the Lame Duck"
1964	Fugitive, TheThe Fugitive	Mrs. Janet Loring	Episode: "Angels Travel on Lonely Roads: Part 2"
1964	Virginian, TheThe Virginian	Various roles	2 episodes
1964-1965	Burke's Law	Various roles	3 episodes
1965	The Bill Dana Show	Yvette Renay	Episode: "Beauty and the Bellhop"
1965	Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.	Gloria Morgan	Episode: "Gomer Dates a Movie Star"
1965	The Wackiest Ship in the Army		Episode: "The Stowaway"
1965-1967	The Wild Wild West	Various roles	2 episodes
1967	The Lucy Show	Miss Audrey Fields; herself	Episodes: "Lucy's Substitute Secretary"; "Lucy Meets The Berles"
1967	Judd, for the Defense	Alida Nye	Episode: "To Love and Stand Mute"
1967	Mannix	Jean Coleman	Episode: "Run, Sheep, Run"
1967-1969	Hogan's Heroes	Various roles	3 episodes
1968	Ironside	Marian	Episode: "To Kill a Cop"
1969	Guns of Will Sonnett, TheThe Guns of Will Sonnett	Fan	Episode: "Trail's End"
1969	The Flying Nun	Faye/Sister Mary Grace	2 episodes
1969	Marcus Welby, M.D.	Shirley Ballinger	Episode: "All Flags Flying"
1969-1972	Love, American Style	Various roles	3 episodes
1971	Mayberry R.F.D.	Terry	Episode: "The City Planner"
1971	A Howling in the Woods	Sharon	Television film
1971	The Mod Squad	Gloria Hardy	Episode: "Exit the Closer"
1971	Arnie	Miss Fletcher	Episode: "Et Tu, Arnie"
1972	Me and the Chimp	Lavelle Wiggins	Episode: "My Pet, the Thief"
1974	Indict and Convict	Phyllis Dorfman	Television film
1974	Roll, Freddy, Roll!	Evelyn Danton Kane	Television film
1979	Mork & Mindy	Lisa	Episode: "Mork's Night Out"
1979-1982	Three's Company	Various roles	2 episodes
1980	The Flintstone Comedy Show	Hidea Frankenstone (Voice)	1 episode
1980	Vega$	Gloria Garland	Episode: "Love Affair"
1980	Disney's Wonderful World	Ernestine Di Gonzini	Episode: "The Ghosts of Buxley Hall"
1980-1983	Fantasy Island	Various roles	3 episodes
1981	Elvis and the Beauty Queen	Su-Su	Television movie
1981	The Smurfs	Additional voices	Unknown episodes
1982	Simon & Simon	Penny Russell	Episode: "Matchmaker"
1982	Madame's Place	Kaye Jacobs	Episode #1.42
1983	CHiPs	Babe	Episode: "Journey to a Spacecraft"
1984	The Rousters	Mrs. Slade	Episode: "Slade vs. Slade"
1984	Hotel	Georgia Potter	Episode: "Ideals"
1984-1985	1st & Ten	Rona	4 episodes
1985	The Love Boat	Harriet Wolters	1 episode
1985	Benson	Zelda	Episode: "Solid Gold"
1988	Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School	Revolta (Voice)	Television movie
1988-1989	Coming of Age	Pauline Spencer	15 episodes
1989	Jake and the Fatman	Leilani Simmons	Episode: "Sweet Leilani"
1990	Timeless Tales from Hallmark	Voice role	Episode: "Rapunzel"
1990	Charles in Charge	Gloria	Episode: "Three Dates & A Walnut"
1990	People Like Us	Faye Converse	Television film
1990	Murder, She Wrote	Renee	Episode: "A Body to Die For"
1992	Delta	Charlotte Tyler	Episode: "How Much Is That Darden in the Window?"
1993	The Building	Sylvia	Episode: "Yakkity Yak Don't Talk"
1997	Roseanne	Joyce	2 episodes
1998	Saved by the Bell: The New Class	Mrs. Gore	Episode: "Cigar Wars"
2000	Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue	Koko Kashmere	Episode: "In the Limelight"
2003	Life With Bonnie	Mrs. Ruta Blanchette	Episode: "Places, Stat!"
2005	Studio House	Lily Fargate	Television movie
2006	Christmas Do-Over	Granny Conlon	Television movie
2007	Christmas at Cadillac Jack's	Rose Jenkins	Television movie
2012	Days of Our Lives	Tillie Inman	Episode #1.11749

In 2009, she played a 'straight' role as herself in the hilarious British hidden camera comedy La La Land. A series about the stupidity of people trying to make it in Hollywood and those trying to help them.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]