Ronnie Gilbert was an American actor best known for Camera Three, Club Life, and Running on Empty. She was a singer and a founding member of the influential folk group The Weavers.
Personal and Family Life
Ronnie Gilbert was born as Ruth Alice Gilbert on September 7, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York City. She had a unique upbringing, with parents who were immigrants and involved in labor activism. Throughout her life, she was married twice, first to Martin Stanley Weg and later to Donna Abbe Korones, although the latter marriage was annulled shortly after.
Career
Gilbert’s career spanned music, theater, and television. She gained fame as part of The Weavers, who were pivotal in popularizing folk music in America. After the group’s disbandment in 1964, she continued her artistic journey in theater and earned a master’s degree in psychology in the 1970s, later working as a therapist.
Death and Legacy
Ronnie Gilbert passed away on June 6, 2015, in Mill Valley, California, from natural causes. She left behind a legacy of music and activism, advocating for social change through her art. She is remembered fondly by her daughter Lisa and her partner of 30 years, Donna Korones.
Filmography
| Title | Release Date | Character |
|---|---|---|
| The Weavers: Wasn’t That a Time | 1982-03-07 | Self |
| Isn’t This a Time! A Tribute Concert for Harold Leventhal | 2004-09-17 | Herself |
| Windflowers | 1968-02-22 | Mother |
| The Congress | 1989-03-19 | (voice) |
| Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin’ | 1984-01-01 | Self |
| Running on Empty | 1988-09-09 | Mrs. Taylor |
| Crossing Delancey | 1988-08-17 | Mugger #2 |
| Isadora | 1968-09-14 | Miss Chase |
| Hopi: Songs of the Fourth World | 1983-01-01 | Narrator (voice) |
| Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony | 1999-11-07 | Elizabeth Cady Stanton (voice) |
| The Civil War | 1990-09-23 | Various |