Mercedes Ruehl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mercedes Ruehl
Ruehl in 2009
Born	(1948-02-28) February 28, 1948 (age 77) New York City, U.S.
Education	College of New Rochelle (BA) Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1976–present
Spouse(s)	David Geiser ​ ​ (m. 1999; died 2020)​
Children	2
Relatives	Peter Ruehl (brother)

Mercedes J. Ruehl (born February 28, 1948) is a talented American actress. She has starred in movies, plays, and TV shows. Mercedes Ruehl has won many important awards for her acting. These include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. She is well-known for her main role in the play Lost in Yonkers (1990). She also played a great supporting role in the movie The Fisher King (1991).

Her Early Life and School Days

Mercedes Ruehl was born on February 28, 1948, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City. Her mother, also named Mercedes J. Ruehl, was a schoolteacher. Her father, Vincent Ruehl, worked as an FBI agent. Her father's family came from Germany and Ireland. Her mother's family was from Cuba and Ireland.

Because her father worked for the FBI, her family moved often. They lived in different states, including Silver Spring, Maryland. Mercedes and her brother, Peter, grew up in a Catholic family. She went to the College of New Rochelle and finished her studies in 1969. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

Becoming an Actress

Mercedes Ruehl started her acting journey in New York City. She performed in many small theater shows. At the same time, she worked different temporary jobs and as a waitress. She became well-known in regional theater groups. In 1984, she got her first big role on Broadway in a play called I'm Not Rappaport.

She won an Obie Award in 1984 for her acting in The Marriage of Bette and Boo. Many years later, she won another Obie Award for Woman Before a Glass. In 1991, she won a Tony Award for Best Actress for her role in Neil Simon's play Lost in Yonkers. She even went on tour with the show. She was also nominated for two other Tony Awards for her roles in The Shadow Box (1995) and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (2002).

Film and TV Roles

Mercedes Ruehl's most famous movie role was in The Fisher King. She played a strong and practical video store owner. For this role, she won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also won an American Comedy Award, a Boston Society of Film Critics Award, and a Golden Globe.

Before that, in 1989, she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for her role in Married to the Mob. On television, she played Kate Costas in five episodes of Frasier. She also had a big part in the TV movie All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story. In 2005, she received an award from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. Later, she played the mother of the main character, Vincent Chase, in the HBO show Entourage.

In 2009, she returned to the stage in The American Plan. A newspaper review called her performance "masterly." She also appeared in the film What Ever Happened to Barker Daniels?. In 2011, she starred in the play The How and The Why. In 2017, she played Ma in the play Torch Song, which moved to Broadway. Today, Mercedes Ruehl also teaches acting at HB Studio in New York City.

Her Family Life

In 1999, Mercedes Ruehl married a painter named David Geiser. They adopted a son named Jake, who was born in 1995. Mercedes also had another son, Christopher, whom she placed for adoption in 1976 when she was 28. They reconnected in the late 1990s when Christopher turned 21. Christopher later became Jake's godfather.

Mercedes and David were no longer together by 2017, but they remained close friends. David Geiser passed away unexpectedly in 2020 at the age of 73. Mercedes' brother, Peter, moved to Australia in 1987. He became a newspaper columnist there until he passed away in 2011.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Mercedes Ruehl para niños