Ruth Cracknell AM 1925-2002

In 1989 Cracknell and June Salter played in Peter Shaffer’s Lettice and Lovage for the MTC and the STC. In 1990 Cracknell was reunited with Ron Haddrick in A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters for the STC. Also for the STC she toured in Beckett’s Happy Days in 1991 and Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers in 1992. In 1993 and 1994 Cracknell appeared in Adelaide and Brisbane in an adaptation of May Gibbs’ Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. For the STC/MTC she appeared in Geoffrey Atherden’s Hotspur in 1994 and Albee’s Three Tall Women in 1995. In 1997 she played opposite Jennifer Hagen in Eileen Atkins’ two-hander Vita and Virginia for the STC. In 2000 she played in STC’s Collected Stories in Sydney and, later, Canberra. In 2001 she was in Peta Murray’s new Australian play Salt. Earlier that year she was in the galaxy of talent for The Stars are Brightly Shining, a gala at Sydney’s State Theatre to support AIDS charities.

In parallel with her remarkable stage career, Cracknell juggled film and television commitments. Her first feature film was Smiley Gets a Gun in 1958. Her last, Joey, was made in 1997. Some of the ones in between were That Lady from Peking, The Singer and the Dancer, The Night, the Prowler, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, The Best of Friends, Emerald City, Spider and Rose and Lillian’s Story. In the early days of television she was in the groundbreaking ABC drama series The Patriots (1962) and Playschool. She was in many more TV dramas and series, including the popular Seven Little Australians, but it was her portrayal of the engagingly senile Maggie Beare in Geoffrey Atherden’s brilliant comedy series Mother and Son, in which she co-starred with Garry McDonald, that brought her her largest and most devoted audience. Premiering in 1984, it extended to 42 episodes over six series.

Ruth Cracknell wrote two volumes of autobiography, A Biased Memoir and Journey from Venice. She won many awards, including two Logies for Mother and Son, and another as Best Comedy Personality. She was a patron of STC, the Australian Theatre for Young People, the University of Western Sydney’s Centrestage and the Quest for Life Foundation. She held Honorary Doctorates from the University of Sydney, the University of Technology Queensland and the University of Western Sydney. In 1980 she was made a member of the Order of Australia for services to the arts. Less formally, she was affectionately known as Crackers, Dame Crackers, Saint Ruth, and even Dame Ruth.

In 2001 Live Performance Australia presented her with its James Cassius Williamson Award in recognition of her commitment to performing arts excellence.

Ruth Cracknell died on 13 May 2002. Her daughter, actor Anna Phillips, appeared in several productions with her.

Frank Van Straten, 2007