Her death, from cancer, was sudden and unexpected.
Ruth White spent the final decade of her life as one of New York's most highly praised character actresses. White had sacrificed her career to care for an ailing parent, and when she returned to acting, she was in her mid-thirties, overweight, and hardly exhibiting much promise. However, she soon scored great successes in the off-Broadway plays of Samuel Beckett (most notably "Happy Days"), appeared in Edward Albee's "Malcolm" (1966) and "Box" (1968), and earned a Tony nomination for her role in Harold Pinter's "The Birthday Party" (1968). White earned an Emmy for her sole nomination, in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of "Little Moon of Alban". She was unforgettable in the films "Up the Down Staircase", "No Way To Treat A Lady" and "Midnight Cowboy."
She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Literature from Rutgers University (Douglass College) in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1935.
She is the sister of actors Charles White and Richard White.
She taught acting and drama at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.
She was a lifelong resident of Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
She was a teacher in New Jersey while she was pursuing an acting career in New York City.
She was awarded an Emmy Award in 1964 for Best Supporting Actress in the Hallmark Hall of Fame Prodcution of "Little Moon of Alban."
She was awarded an honorary Master's Degree from Rutgers University (Douglass College) in 1962 for her services to humanities.
She was interred with her brothers in the White Family Plot at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
She was of Irish heritage.
Studied acting with Maria Ouspenskaya
Was nominated for Broadway's 1968 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for Harold Pinter's "The Birthday Party."