Lessons from a Movie Villain: How Anne Ramsey's Persistence Can Help You Win in Business

Do you know the name Anne Ramsey? MSN said she is one of the Female Villains We Adore. In real life Anne was sweet and loved by her husband Logan Ramsey but we knew her as “Mama Fratelli” from the 80s movie “The Goonies.” The character was a ruthless, shrewd mother of two criminals and a special adult known as “Sloth.”

After watching “The Goonies” last summer (yeah it was probably my 20th time, but who’s counting), I began wondering about Anne Ramsey. She was such a character actress, why wasn’t she in more movies? I know she was in “Throw Mama from the Train” with Billy Crystal and Danny Devito shortly after “Goonies” but that’s where her movie career stops.

I watched an interview with Anne shortly after she was cast for the movie “Throw Mama from the Train.” Anne talks about how she loved acting since the age of 4 but many years went by before she was able to create a career out of acting. Anne also mentioned how shocked her family was to see her play an angry mother (like I mentioned before, Anne was known to be a very sweet woman). She grew up in a family with a mother who was the treasure for the National Girls Scouts of America and her father was an insurance salesman. She came from a well-to-do family (one of her ancestors was from the first Pilgrim settlement!) and they assumed she would always be a “good” girl, even the roles she played in films and TV.

Anne enjoyed playing roles in comedy where she could portray a gruff, mean person. She hit it big with her role in “The Goonies.” Sadly she got cancer right after filming that movie. After many treatments, she had a surgery to remove part of her tongue, it was on her 57th birthday.

Anne didn’t give up; she heard Danny Devito was looking for a certain type of gruff woman to play “Mama” in his next movie. Danny and Anne connected - even though Anne’s surgery left her with a speech impediment and drooling condition - she USED her condition to help her get the role and craft a memorable character. The character she created in Danny’s movie helped her receive an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for “Best Supporting Actress.” She also was nominated for a Golden Globe award!

In 1998, Anne passed away at the age of 59, weeks after “Throw Mama From the Train” was released in theaters. In the same interview mentioned above, Anne spoke about the “courage” to be herself and move away from typical “good girl” roles that her family wanted her to do. It wasn’t easy but she followed her passion and never gave up.

I wanted to share Anne’s story to help inspire you. It’s easy to do what everyone else thinks you should do, especially in your business. Stand out and be yourself - it’s not easy. Practice courage in your marketing decisions and be authentic. Find faith in yourself and be willing to get the help you need to make it happen.

Over the course of November, I’ll be sharing ways to inspire and help you pull yourself up by your bootstraps, create systems for your business, and lay the groundwork for future success. Part of it is having the courage to do it; part of it is having systems that help you achieve it.

Let me know if Anne’s story is encouraging to you or if you can