Alice Drummond
A beloved character actress whose gentle, flustered presence lit up stages and screens, most famously as the ghost-terrified librarian.
1928–2016 (age 88)·American actress·Birthday: May 21·The Silent Generation
Biography
Alice Drummond brought a unique, nervous energy to every role she inhabited over a career spanning five decades. A stalwart of New York's Off-Broadway scene, she honed her craft in intimate theatres, earning a Tony nomination in 1970 for her performance in 'The Chinese and Dr. Fish'. While she appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, often playing secretaries, neighbors, or gentle eccentrics, she achieved a peculiar immortality in a single, unforgettable minute. As the meek New York Public Library ghostbusters in the 1984 classic 'Ghostbusters', her wide-eyed terror and whispered "We got one!" became an iconic piece of cinema. That role, though small, encapsulated her specialty: finding the profound humanity and humor in ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. She continued working steadily, appearing in everything from 'Awakenings' to 'The Crucible', always delivering a performance of nuanced authenticity.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alice was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alice Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Alice's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2016Died at 88
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in 'The Chinese and Dr. Fish' in 1970.
- Appeared in over 50 films and numerous television shows, including recurring roles on 'The Beat' and 'Law & Order'.
- Performed extensively with the prestigious New York Shakespeare Festival and other Off-Broadway companies.
- Her performance as the librarian in 'Ghostbusters' remains one of the most memorable opening scenes in comedy film history.
Did You Know?
She worked as a social worker in the South Bronx before pursuing acting full-time.
Drummond was a graduate of Pembroke College (the former women's college at Brown University).
She played the role of Mrs. Landingham, the president's secretary, in the original Broadway production of 'Frost/Nixon'.
Her first major film role was in 'The Stepford Wives' (1975).
“I've always been drawn to characters who are slightly off, a little broken.”
