Loading AI tools
American actress (1929–2017) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mary Ellen Ruffalo (née Keaggy, August 29, 1929 – 2017), better known as Mary Ellen Kay, was an American television and film actress.[1]
Mary Ellen Kay | |
---|---|
Born | Mary Ellen Keaggy August 29, 1929 Boardman, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | 2017 (aged 87–88) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1950–1966 (film) |
Spouse |
Tim Ruffalo
(m. 1963; died 1993) |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Phil Keaggy (brother) |
Kay was born in Boardman, Ohio, on August 29, 1929.[2] She was one of ten siblings and the sister of virtuoso guitarist Phil Keaggy. Her brother credits her with introducing him to the Christian faith.[3] Prior to her acting career, Kay was a singer, having started at the age of 6. She later toured with Gene Ryan's orchestra, and by the time she was 17, she had become a headliner in supper clubs. Her initial foray into acting occurred through Little Theatre productions in the Hollywood area.[4] Kay co-starred with Rex Allen in 19 western films.[2]
In 1963, she married her second husband, Tim Ruffalo. They had one son, Bill, and remained together until his passing from a stroke in 1993.[5] In an interview dated August 14, 2018, Kay's brother, Phil Keaggy, revealed that Mary Ellen had passed away in 2017 at the age of 87.[6]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.