Ruth Ford, Broadway Actress, Dead At 98

The New York Times reports the sad news that actress Ruth Ford has passed away at the age of 98.

Her lawyer, Karin Gustafson, confirmed her death and her age to The New York Times.

Ford made her Broadway debut in the 1938 production of The Shoemaker's Holiday. She also starred in many rialto productions including, The House of Bernard Alba, Harold and Maude the musical The Grass Harp.

This excerpt from The Times article on her passing sheds a light on how she was beloved within the theatrical community here in New York City:

'For more than 40 years, Ms. Ford's apartment in the Dakota - the gabled, fortresslike building on the northwest corner of 72nd Street that was built in the 1880s - welcomed the likes of William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Terrence McNally and Truman Capote.

If Ms. Ford had lived in another century, she would have been one of the great salonnieres of all time, the lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim told People magazine in 1975.

"It was a chance encounter between Sondheim and librettist Arthur Laurents in her Manhattan living room that led to their collaboration, with Leonard Bernstein, on ‘West Side Story,' " the magazine said.'

Ms. Ford is survived by a daughter, Shelly Scott of Santa Barbara, Calif.; a granddaughter; and two great-grandchildren.