Ruth Kobart, 78; Tony-Nominated Stage, TV, Film Actress

Ruth Kobart, 78, an American Conservatory Theater actress who appeared in the organization’s first production 35 years ago, died Dec. 14 in San Francisco of pancreatic cancer.

Kobart appeared as Madame Pernelle in “Tartuffe,” the company’s first production at San Francisco’s Geary Theater in 1967. Twenty-five years afterward, she recalled: “The house was electric, and the whole thing was a big love affair between us and the audience. The more they loved it, the better we got. We really took off with a whoosh!”

Kobart, a native of Des Moines, began her career life in New York, where she pursued roles in opera. She made her professional debut off-Broadway as the Witch in “Hansel and Gretel” with the Lemonade Opera, and then frequently performed in New York and on tour with NBC Opera.

Her varied career included the musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” which won her a Tony nomination in 1963; and television and film credits such as “Bob,” “Dirty Harry” and “Sister Act.”

Kobart last appeared with the American Conservatory Theater in “Home” in 1994.