Anne Ramsey (September 1, 1929 - August 11, 1988) was an
American actress who is probably most famous for her roles as Mama Fratelli in
Richard Donner's
The Goonies, and as Mrs. Lift, the mother of
Danny DeVito's character in
Throw Momma from the Train.
Biography
Early life
Ramsey was born
Anne Mobley in
Omaha,
Nebraska, the daughter of an insurance executive and a descendant of
Pilgrims. She attended
Bennington College and became interested in the
theatre. She performed in several Broadway productions in the 1950s and married actor
Logan Ramsey in 1954, moving to
Philadelphia, where they formed Philadelphia's Theatre of the Living Arts.
Career
In the early 1970s, Ramsey began a career as a
character actor in Hollywood. She appeared with her husband in five films, including
The Sporting Club and
Meet the Hollowheads, her first and last movie roles. Ramsey's slurred speech, a trademark of her later performances, was caused in part from having some of her tongue and jaw removed during a cancer operation shortly after filming 1985's
The Goonies. Ramsey was nominated for an Oscar for her part in
Throw Momma From the Train opposite
Billy Crystal and
Danny DeVito. A year later, she guest-starred on an episode of
Alf before her death.
