Cecil Cunningham was an American actress, known for her long and prolific career as a character actress in Hollywood. She began her career in vaudeville and on Broadway, where she honed her comedic skills and stage presence. With the advent of sound, she moved to Hollywood, quickly becoming a familiar face specializing in roles as aristocratic women, acerbic spinsters, or authoritarian matriarchs. Among her most celebrated performances are those in *The Awful Truth* (1937), where she played Aunt Patsy, and in *Monkey Business* (1931) with the Marx Brothers. Her filmography includes over 80 films, among them *Midnight* (1939) and *My Dream Is Yours* (1949). Although she did not receive any major individual awards, Cunningham was widely recognized for her reliability and versatility, and her ability to elevate a scene with just a few incisive lines made her one of the most valued supporting actresses of her era.