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Alice Elizabeth Drummond (born Alice Elizabeth Ruyter; May 21, 1928, Pawtucket, Rhode Island -- died November 30, 2016, The Bronx, New York City) was an American stage and screen actress with a career spanning more than five decades. A Tony Award-nominated theater veteran, she appeared in over 60 films and is widely recognized as Alice, the terrified librarian in the opening sequence of Ghostbusters (1984).
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Alice Elizabeth Ruyter was born on May 21, 1928, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to Sarah Irene Alker, a secretary, and Arthur Ruyter, an auto mechanic. She attended Pembroke College, the women's college of Brown University, and graduated in 1950. Following graduation she moved to New York City, where she began pursuing a career on stage.1
Drummond made her Broadway debut in a 1959 revival of Lysistrata. Her most notable stage recognition came in 1970, when she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Mrs. Lee in The Chinese by Murray Schisgal. Additional Broadway credits included Thieves and Summer Brave; off-Broadway she appeared in The American Dream and Marvin's Room.12
Her television career began in 1967 when she joined the cast of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows as Nurse Jackson. She went on to play Loretta Jardin as a regular cast member on the CBS daytime drama Where the Heart Is from 1971 to 1973. Across the following decades she made guest appearances on Night Court, Kate & Allie, Friends, Law & Order, and Boston Legal, among others.1
Drummond appeared in more than 60 films during her career. Beyond Ghostbusters (1984), notable roles included Lucy in Awakenings (1990) alongside Robin Williams and Robert De Niro; Mrs. Finkle, Ray Finkle's eccentric mother, in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994); Clara in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995); and Grandma Dottie in Pieces of April (2003).1
Drummond plays Alice, the librarian at the New York Public Library whose encounter with a ghost sends the newly formed Ghostbusters on their first real investigation. The character appears in the film's opening sequence and in the team's initial visit to the library.
Her performance and, specifically, her scream reportedly secured her the role. Filming at the New York Public Library took four days for the scenes in the stacks. Director Ivan Reitman himself stood in for the ghost, waving his arms at Drummond to provoke her reactions. On the day the NYPL sequences were shot, a real librarian employed at the library was reportedly annoyed to see Drummond dressed as a stereotypical librarian. After finishing her only day of filming at the Library, Drummond performed in a theatrical production that same evening.
In the novel adaptation Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, the character is named Alice Melvin rather than simply Alice.
Drummond married actor Paul Drummond in 1951. They separated in 1975 and divorced in 1976. She adopted his surname professionally and retained it throughout her career. She lived in Manhattan for much of her adult life.1
Alice Drummond died on November 30, 2016, in The Bronx, New York City, from complications following a fall at her home. She was 88 years old.31
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
Wikipedia, "Alice Drummond" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Drummond) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
Broadway.com, "Alice Drummond, Tony-Nominated Stage & Screen Actress, Dies at 88" (https://www.broadway.com/buzz/186951/alice-drummond-tony-nominated-stage-screen-actress-dies-at-88/) ↩
Deadline, "Alice Drummond Dies; Veteran Character Actress Was 88" (https://deadline.com/2016/12/character-actress-alice-drummond-dies-at-88-1201863944/) ↩
