Portrait of Mercedes Ruehl

Birthday profile

Mercedes Ruehl

Mercedes Ruehl, American actress

Born
February 28, 1948
Age in 2026
78
Zodiac sign
Pisces
Birth year
1948

About Mercedes Ruehl

Mercedes J. Ruehl ( ROOL; born February 28, 1948) is an American screen, stage, and television actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. Ruehl won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as video store owner and romantic interest in Terry Gilliam's fantasy comedy drama The Fisher King (1991). She also acted in the films The Warriors (1979), Heartburn (1986), 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), Big (1988), Married to the Mob (1988), Last Action Hero (1993), Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995), Roseanna's Grave (1997), Gia (1998), The Minus Man (1999) and Hustlers (2019). On television, she had a recurring role as a radio station manager in the NBC sitcom Frasier from 1995 to 1996. On stage, she made her Broadway debut in the Herb Gardner play I'm Not Rappaport (1985). She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role in the Neil Simon drama Lost in Yonkers (1991). She reprised the role in the 1993 film of the same name. She was further Tony-nominated for her performances in Michael Cristofer's The Shadow Box (1995) and Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2002). She has also acted in Broadway productions of The Rose Tattoo (1995), The American Plan (2009), and Torch Song (2017).

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Mercedes Ruehl timeline

  1. Ruehl won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as video store owner and romantic interest in Terry Gilliam's fantasy comedy drama The Fisher King (1991).
  2. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role in the Neil Simon drama Lost in Yonkers (1991).

The world when Mercedes Ruehl was born

Mercedes Ruehl was born in 1948. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1948

  • #1 song"Twelfth Street Rag" – Pee Wee Hunt
  • Top movieHamlet
  • Top TV showTexaco Star Theater (Milton Berle)
  • Best-selling bookThe Naked and the Dead – Norman Mailer

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentCleveland Indians win the World Series
  • Top headlineState of Israel declared
  • Technology milestoneLong-playing vinyl record (LP) introduced
  • Defining fadTelevision sets in homes
  • Notable inventionVelcro
  • World population2.50 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
  • Sports championCleveland Indians (World Series)
  • Also wonBaltimore Bullets (BAA)
  • U.S. population146.6M

1948 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Mercedes Ruehl's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19482026
Gas$0.26$3.45/gal
Average home$8,300$435,000
Average income$5,000$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.40$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population146.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.