American character actress Anne Ramsey was quite busy in the 1980s despite being in her later years at the time. It wasn't until quite late in her life that Ramsey pursued an acting career in motion pictures.

Ramsey was born Anne Mobley in Omaha, Nebraska, to Eleanor (Smith), a national treasurer of the Girl Scouts, and Nathan Mobley, an insurance executive. Her uncle was U.S. Ambassador David S. Smith. Ramsey attended Bennington College and was active in numerous on- and off-Broadway productions. After her marriage to actor Logan Ramsey, the couple formed Philadelphia's Theatre of the Living Arts. It was in the early 70s that Ramsey began her lengthy career into films. In 1971, she starred opposite her husband inThe Sporting Club (1971) and then settled into small bit parts. However, she was eventually noticed for her trademark brusque, gruff womanly roles, after which she received more offers for films, notably Goin' South (1978), Any Which Way You Can(1980), The Goonies (1985) and Deadly Friend (1986). Unfortunately, by the mid 1980s, Ramsey discovered she was suffering from throat cancer and was forced to have parts of both her tongue and jawbone removed. Showing no sign that her cancer was slowing her down, she received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Danny DeVito's mean mother in the film Throw Momma from the Train (1987). She continued to work until just months before her death in 1988.