Ruby was born at 8 Lane Ends, Hapton in Lancashire, England to her parents William and Maria Haworth Brown. She was the youngest of five children – Minnie, Bill, Victor and Harold. While her older siblings worked in the cotton-weaving industry from when they were children, the family was able to allow Ruby to attend school rather than work. At the age of 10, she had her first real acting role as Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In 1932 Victor helped Maria, Harold, and Ruby move to America to find better employment. In 1937 Ruby married Albert Edward Payne, formerly of the English Navy, but at the time a bartender in New York City. Albert, whom she called Danny, was 18 years her senior
