Jessie Ralph Patton (née Chambers; November 5, 1864^{[citation needed]} – May 30, 1944), was an American stage and screen actress, best known for her matronly roles in many classic films.

Jessie Ralph Chambers was the 13th child born to sailing captain James Chambers and his wife.^[1] Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1864, she made her acting debut in stock theater in 1880, at age 16.^[2]

Ralph made her Broadway debut in The Kreutzer Sonata (1906) and her final appearance on Broadway was in The Good Earth (1932).^[3]

In 1915, Ralph debuted in two-reel films in New York, not arriving in Hollywood until 1933.^[2] She was nearly 70 then, so her parts were limited to matronly roles, but her ability to steal scenes captured the attention of moviegoers of the time.^{[citation needed]}

Ralph's best-known roles include Nurse Pegotty in David Copperfield (1935), Nanine, Greta Garbo's maid in Camille (1936), as Myrna Loy's Aunt Katherine (in a state of permanent high dudgeon) in After the Thin Man (1936) and as Mrs. Hermosillo Brunch, battle-axe mother-in-law to W.C. Fields in The Bank Dick (1940). From 1933 to 1941, Ralph appeared in 55 films, 11 of them released during 1935.

Ralph married actor William Patton on August 21, 1901 in Manhattan, New York.^[4] They remained married until his death.^[5] They had no children.^[1]

Ralph retired from Hollywood in 1941 after having her leg amputated.^[2] She died in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on May 30, 1944, aged 79^[1] and was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. ^{[citation needed]}

• Jessie Ralph at IMDb
• Jessie Ralph at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jessie Ralph portrait at NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection