Doris Dowling
Doris Dowling | |
---|---|
![]() Doris Dowling and Vittorio Gassman in Bitter Rice (1948) | |
Born | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | May 15, 1923
Died | June 18, 2004 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 81)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1944-1984 |
Spouse(s) | Artie Shaw (1952-1956) (divorced) (1 child) Robert F. Blumofe (1956-1959) (divorced) Leonard B. Kaufman (1960-2004) (her death) (1 child)[1] |
Children | Jonathan Shaw (b. 1953) |
Doris Dowling (May 15, 1923 – June 18, 2004) was an American actress of film, stage and television.
Early years
Dowling was born in Detroit, Michigan,[2] but grew up in New York City with siblings Robert, Richard, and Constance (who also became an actress). After graduating from Hunter College High School, she spent a short time with a Folies Bergère group in San Francisco before her mother brought her back to New York to attend Hunter College.[3]
Film
After her time as a chorus girl on Broadway, Dowling followed her elder sister Constance to Hollywood. Her first credited film role was that of Gloria, barfly and drinking companion to fellow alcoholic Ray Milland in the 1945 film The Lost Weekend. She next appeared in The Blue Dahlia, which starred Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.[4]
As post-war work became more scarce, she emigrated to Italy to revive her career, as her sister had done.[5]
In Italy, Dowling starred in several acclaimed films including Bitter Rice. She appeared in Orson Welles's European production of Othello in 1952, playing Bianca.[2]
Back in the United States, she returned to film in Running Target (1956)[2] and appeared in the 1977 production The Car.[6]
Television
Upon returning to the United States, much of Dowling's work was in theater and on television. She appeared in such television shows as Have Gun – Will Travel, Cheyenne, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Science Fiction Theater, Bonanza, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show and, late in her career, The Incredible Hulk, Kojak, and finally, The Dukes of Hazzard in 1984. She co-starred with Bob Cummings and Julie Newmar in the sitcom My Living Doll.[7] [8]
Stage
Dowling shared the "Best Ensemble Performance" Outer Critics Circle Award for 1972-1973 for her performance in a revival of The Women on Broadway.[9] Her other Broadway credits include Panama Hattie (1942), Banjo eyes (1942), Beat the Band (1942), and New Faces of 1943 (1943).[10]
Personal life
Dowling dated Billy Wilder during the 1940s[11] and married three times. She was band leader Artie Shaw's 7th wife, and she had a son, Jonathan, with him. On April 27, 1956, Dowling married film executive Robert F. Blumofe;[12] they divorced in 1959.[13] She married Leonard Kaufman April 20, 1960. They were still married at the time of her death.[14]
Death
Dowling died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, June 18, 2004. She was 81.[5] She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.[15]
Partial Filmography
- The Lost Weekend (1945) - Gloria
- The Blue Dahlia (1946) - Helen Morrison
- Bitter Rice (1949) - Francesca
- Othello (1952) - Bianca
- Running Target (1956) - Smitty
- Wink of an Eye (1958) - Myrna Duchane
- The Party Crashers (1958) - Mrs. Hazel Webster
- Birds Do It (1966) - Congresswoman Clanger
- The Car (1977) - Bertha
- Separate Ways (1981) - Rebecca Stevens
References
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/jul/01/guardianobituaries.film
- ^ a b c "Doris Dowling". The Telegraph. June 22, 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ Chapman, Frank (January 20, 1946). "Bad Girl -- but Good!". New York, Syracuse. The Post-Standard. p. 49. Retrieved April 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Doris Dowling, 81, actress in 'Lost Weekend'". The Boston Globe. June 22, 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ a b "Doris Dowling". Pennsylvania, Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Times. June 22, 2004. p. 2. Retrieved February 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Familiar Names Turn to Film". California, Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz Sentinel. August 12, 1976. p. 25. Retrieved February 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. P. 733.
- ^ THE HAUNTED TREES (13 JUNE 1959) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4XQuMXIKeE&nohtml5=False
- ^ "Awards for 1972-1973". Outer Critics Circle. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ "Doris Dowling". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ Phillips, G.D. (2010). Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813139517. Retrieved 2015-06-13.
- ^ "Doris Dowling Is Married". Missouri, Kansas City. The Kansas City Times. April 28, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved February 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Doris Dowling Granted Divorce". Pennsylvania, Indiana. The Indiana Gazette. March 10, 1959. p. 12. Retrieved February 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Doris Dowling Married Today". Pennsylvania, Indiana. The Indiana Gazette. April 20, 1960. p. 18. Retrieved February 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wagner, Laura (Winter 2015). "Doris Dowling: A Scandalous Woman". Films of the Golden Age (83): 72–73.