Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Kate Bruce(1860-1946)

  • Actress
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Kate Bruce
A D.W. Griffith favorite matriarchal figure often playing mother characters. Kate Bruce appeared 292 times on the screen from 1908 to 1930, in movies including Intolerance (1916), The Idol Dancer (1920), Way Down East (1920), The Eternal Mother (1912), and Orphans of the Storm (1921). She was a close friend of actresses Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish, who supported Bruce financially for much of her life, including paying her rent in a little Hotel on Madison Avenue in New York. Lillian's maid would take care of her room once a week. Bruce would dine at Lillian's apartment several times a week. A very secretive and shy person, Bruce did not talk about her past or background. Lillian often compared her to a nun since her life was very austere and lonely.
BornFebruary 17, 1860
DiedApril 2, 1946(86)
BornFebruary 17, 1860
DiedApril 2, 1946(86)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos26

View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
+ 20
View Poster

Known for

The White Rose (1923)
The White Rose
6.1
  • John's Aunt
  • 1923
Dorothy Gish and Ralph Lewis in Gretchen the Greenhorn (1916)
Gretchen the Greenhorn
6.3
  • Widow Garrity
  • 1916
In a Hempen Bag (1909)
In a Hempen Bag
3.0
Short
  • The Nursemaid
  • 1909
The Broken Locket (1909)
The Broken Locket
4.6
Short
  • Ruth's Mother
  • 1909

Credits

IMDbPro

Actress



  • Claude Cooper and Hal Skelly in The Struggle (1931)
    The Struggle
    6.0
    • Granny (uncredited)
    • 1931
  • William Boyd and Marie Prevost in The Flying Fool (1929)
    The Flying Fool
    5.3
    • Mrs. Riley - Pat's Mother
    • 1929
  • A Bowery Cinderella
    • Bridget Denahy
    • 1927
  • Ragtime (1927)
    Ragtime
    4.6
    • Mrs. Mason
    • 1927
  • Ben Bard, Olive Borden, John Holland, and Walter McGrail in The Secret Studio (1927)
    The Secret Studio
    • Ma Merton
    • 1927
  • Charley Chase in Are Brunettes Safe? (1927)
    Are Brunettes Safe?
    7.2
    Short
    • Bud's Mother
    • 1927
  • Doris Kenyon and Milton Sills in I Want My Man (1925)
    I Want My Man
    • Mrs. Eyre
    • 1925
  • Lloyd Hamilton in His Darker Self (1924)
    His Darker Self
    6.4
    • Claude's Mother
    • 1924
  • The White Rose (1923)
    The White Rose
    6.1
    • John's Aunt
    • 1923
  • Orphans of the Storm (1921)
    Orphans of the Storm
    7.3
    • Sister Genevieve
    • 1921
  • Experience (1921)
    Experience
    4.2
    • Mother
    • 1921
  • Thomas Meighan in The City of Silent Men (1921)
    The City of Silent Men
    • Mrs. Montgomery
    • 1921
  • Flying Pat (1920)
    Flying Pat
    • Old Lady
    • 1920
  • Lillian Gish and Richard Barthelmess in Way Down East (1920)
    Way Down East
    7.3
    • Mrs. Bartlett
    • 1920
  • Dorothy Gish in Mary Ellen Comes to Town (1920)
    Mary Ellen Comes to Town
    • Mary Ellen's mother
    • 1920

Personal details

  • Alternative name
    • Phyllis Forde
  • Born
    • February 17, 1860
    • Columbus, Indiana, USA
  • Died
    • April 2, 1946
    • New York City, New York, USA(undisclosed)
  • Other works
    (April/May 1903) Stage: Appeared in "The Starbucks" on Broadway. As of 2002, this is her only known Broadway show.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article

Did you know

  • Trivia
    Prolific silent screen character actress, often in matriarchal roles. A favorite of director D.W. Griffith.
  • Nickname
    • Brucie

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

You have no recently viewed pages
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.