Ruthie Tompson Explained

Ruthie Tompson
Birth Name:Ruth Irene Tompson
Birth Date:22 July 1910
Birth Place:Portland, Maine, U.S.
Death Date:
(aged)
Death Place:Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Nationality:American
Occupation:Camera technician, animation checker
Known For:The Walt Disney Company
Awards:Disney Legend, 2000
Years Active:Between 1923 and 1927–1978

Ruth Irene Tompson[1] (July 22, 1910 – October 10, 2021) was an American camera technician, animation checker and supercentenarian.[2] She was known for her work on animated features at The Walt Disney Company and was declared a Disney Legend in 2000.

Biography

Ruth Irene Tompson was born on July 22, 1910, in Portland, Maine, and raised in Boston, Massachusetts.[3] She then moved with her family to Oakland, California, in November 1918 at age eight.[4] She experienced the 1918 influenza pandemic near the end of World War I.[5] In 1924, her parents divorced and her mother, Arlene, remarried artist John Roberts. The family relocated to Los Angeles and their house was in the same block as the house of Robert Disney, uncle of Walt Disney. This is where Roy and Walt Disney lived when they first came to Los Angeles.

As she stated in an interview, Tompson first met the Disneys when she visited her neighbor Robert's new baby. She recalls sitting on an apple box until her parents said they were going home for dinner.[5] The location of The Walt Disney Company, then known as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, was not far from her home – she passed it on her way to grammar school. She was invited into the office after many times standing outside and watching them work through the window. She visited the office often and ended up appearing in the Alice Comedies.[6] [7] [5] At the age of 18, Tompson started working at Dubrock's Riding Academy, where Roy and Walt Disney often played polo.[8] Walt Disney remembered Tompson from when she was young and offered her a job as an inker. After training as an inker, Tompson was transferred to the Paint Department,[9] [5] where she helped with Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[6] After working on several other Disney films, Tompson was promoted to final checker position where she reviewed animation cels before they were photographed onto film. Tompson continued working for Disney and was promoted to animation checker during WWII, where she worked on training and education films, for the U.S Armed Forces, starring Disney characters such as Mickey, Donald Duck and Goofy. By 1948, Tompson was working in the camera department, developing camera moves and mechanics to shoot animation.[10] She became one of the first three women admitted into the International Photographers Union, Local 659 of the IATSE.[2] Tompson continued to work through the studio ranks, eventually becoming the supervisor of the screen planning department.

Tompson retired in 1975 after working for The Walt Disney Company for almost 40 years.[2] [11] In retirement, she worked for an in-house television channel at the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Country House where she lived.[8] [12] Tompson was the oldest member of Women in Animation.[13] [14] In 2000, Tompson was honored by the Disney Legends program and received the Disney Legends Award for her work at the Walt Disney Studios.[15] In 2017, Tompson was honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for her contributions to the animation industry. In July 2020, Tompson became a supercentenarian, and celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg wished her a happy birthday.[16] [17]

Tompson died in her sleep at her home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on October 10, 2021, at the age of 111 years, 80 days. At the time of her death she was the last known living person to have been involved in any capacity with the making of the first four Disney films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia and Dumbo.[18] [19] [20]

Filmography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Monumental Birthday!. Mindy. Johnson. July 22, 2020. mindyjohnsoncreative.
  2. Web site: Ruthie Tompson. D23. Disney. June 14, 2016.
  3. Book: Ghez, Didier. Walt's People –: Talking Disney with the Artists who Knew Him. September 30, 2011. Xlibris Corporation. 9781465368416. Google Books.
  4. Web site: Rice . Nicholas . Legendary Disney Animator Ruthie Tompson Dies at 111: She 'Will Forever Inspire Us,' Says Bob Iger . PEOPLE.com . 2021-10-17 . 2021-10-19.
  5. News: Ruthie Tompson, Disney Animation Pioneer, Turns 110 in Quarantine. Baum. Gary. July 22, 2020. July 25, 2020. The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. Book: Susanin. Timothy S.. Walt before Mickey: Disney's early years, 1919–1928. 2011. University Press of Mississippi. Jackson. 978-1604739602.
  7. Book: Ghez. Didier. Walt's people. talking Disney with the artists who knew him. 2011. Xlibris Corporation. United States. 978-1465368409.
  8. Web site: Baum. Gary. Abramovitch. Seth. 102-Year-Old Hollywood Vet: Walt Disney Hired Me After I Snooped on His Studio. The Hollywood Reporter. April 23, 2015. June 14, 2016.
  9. Book: Johnson, Mindy. Ink and Paint The Women of Walt Disney's Animation. Disney Editions, an import of Disney Book Group. 2017. 978-1-4847-2781-2. Los Angeles. 45,101,122,196,201,212,242.
  10. Web site: Remarkable Ruthie. Johnson. Mindy. October 9, 2017. www.mindyjohnsoncreative.com. May 1, 2019.
  11. Schwartz . Dana . 108-year-old Disney legend Ruthie Tompson shares her memories of Walt, and the secret to longevity . Entertainment Weekly . October 24, 2018.
  12. News: King . Susan . TV neighbors . October 24, 2018 . Los Angeles Times . April 18, 2011.
  13. Web site: Flores. Terry. Harvard Undergrad Receives Scholarship From 105-Year-Old Women in Animation Vet. Variety. August 12, 2015. June 16, 2016.
  14. News: Dador . Denise . Disney legend and centenarian, Ruthie Tompson, shares her longevity secrets . October 24, 2018 . ABC 7 . September 20, 2017.
  15. Web site: Welcome to Disney Mamas!!. Disney Mamas. en-US. April 30, 2019.
  16. News: Disney legend and centenarian, Ruthie Tompson, shares her longevity secrets. Dador. Denise. September 20, 2017. ABC 7. October 24, 2018.
  17. News: Whoopi Goldberg Wishes Happy 110th Birthday To Disney Animator Of 'Sleeping Beauty' And 'LOTR'. Nasir. Leena. July 23, 2020. July 25, 2020. The Things.
  18. Web site: Remembering Disney Legend Ruthie Tompson. October 11, 2021. The Walt Disney Company . https://web.archive.org/web/20211011221350/https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/remembering-disney-legend-ruthie-tompson/ . October 11, 2021 . live.
  19. Web site: Disney Legend Ruthie Thompson Passes Away at Age 111. Shannen . Michaelsen. October 11, 2021. WDW News Today . https://web.archive.org/web/20211011221408/https://wdwnt.com/2021/10/disney-legend-ruthie-thompson-passes-away-at-age-111/ . October 11, 2021 . live.
  20. Web site: Ruthie Tompson, Legend of Disney Animation, Dies at 111. Mike. Barnes. The Hollywood Reporter. October 11, 2021.
  21. News: 108-year-old Disney legend Ruthie Tompson shares her memories of Walt, and the secret to longevity. Dana. Schwartz. August 17, 2018. October 12, 2021. Entertainment Weekly.
  22. News: Ruthie Tompson Dies at 111; Breathed Animated Life Into Disney Films. Fox. Margalit. October 12, 2021. October 12, 2021. The New York Times.
  23. News: Disney Animation Legend Ruthie Tompson Dies at 111. Jenna. Anderson. October 11, 2021. October 12, 2021. Pop Culture Media.
  24. News: Ruthie Tompson, pioneering Disney animator, dies aged 111. Andrew. Pulver. October 12, 2021. October 12, 2021. The Guardian. London.
  25. News: Ruthie Tompson, an animator with the longest history at Disney, dies at 111. Rachel. Treisman. October 12, 2021. October 12, 2021. NPR.
  26. Book: The Hand Behind the Mouse. Disney Editions. April 23, 2001. Iwerks. Leslie. Kenworthy. John. 148. 9780786853205.
  27. Web site: Ruth Tompson List of Movies and TV Shows. TV Guide. October 12, 2021.
  28. PogieJoe Productions. July 3, 2020. 110-Year-Old Ruthie Tompson Tells Us About Making Snow White – NOT-SO SMALL WORLD. October 12, 2021. YouTube.

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