Dorothy Foulger (1900 - 1988)

American Character Actress. She made numerous TV appearances in the 1950s. She was seen in four episodes of the western series “The Adventures of Kit Carson” and four episodes of the crime drama series “Dragnet”. She made two guest appearances in “Perry Mason”. She even appeared in comedy series such as a 1958 episode of […]

Dorothy Frooks (1896 - 1997)

Actress, military figure and author. Frooks played alongside Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton in the film “Reds.” She authored several books, including “American Heart” (1919) and “The Olympic Torch.” She was the wife of J.P. Vanderbilt. (bio by: John T. Chiarella) TEC 5, US ARMY

Dorothy Gibson (1889 - 1946)

Dorothy Gibson was born on May 17, 1889 to John A. Brown and Pauline Caroline Boesen as Dorothy Winifred Brown in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her father died when she was three years old, and her mother married John Leonard Gibson. Between 1906 and 1911, she appeared on stage as a singer and dancer in a […]

Dorothy Gish (1898 - 1968)

Dorothy Gish Actress. She is most remembered for her ability to play vulnerable yet inwardly strong roles in many silent films, including her most famous roles in “Judith of Bethulia” (1914) and “Hearts of the World” (1918).  Born Dorothy Elizabeth de Guiche in Massillon, Ohio, her father was an alcoholic who left the family to […]

Dorothy Green (1920 - 2008)

Actress. Born Dorothy Hufford, she appeared in numerous films and television programs from the 1950s into the 1990s. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Brooks in the popular daytime soap opera “The Young and the Restless”. Her big screen credits include, “The Big Heat” (1953), “Bad for Each Other” (1953), “Finger Man” […]

Dorothy Gulliver (1908 - 1997)

Dorothy Kathleen Gulliver (September 6, 1908 – May 23, 1997) was an early silent film star, and one of the few to make a successful transition with the advent of “talkies”, when films began using sound. Dorothy Gulliver was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named as a 1928 “WAMPAS Baby Star”, Gulliver was part of […]

Dorothy Hart (1922 - 2004)

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dorothy Hart became a model in her late-teens, and was signed by Columbia in 1946. Her contract stipulated “A-movies only”. Although considered one of the top supporting actresses of her day, she was frequently cast in B movies. Dorothy was attractive, standing 5 ft 6 in, with green eyes and auburn […]

Dorothy Height (1912 - 2010)

Dorothy Height was born in Richmond, Virginia. During childhood, she moved with her family to Rankin, Pennsylvania, a steel town in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, where she graduated from Rankin High School in 1929. Height received a scholarship from the Elks, which helped her to attend college. She was admitted to Barnard College in 1929, […]

Dorothy Helen Kelly (1918 - 1969)

Actress. She is best remembered for her role as Robert Benchley’s secretary in “The Sky’s the Limit” (1943). Born in California, she was a brunette background actress, and played in nine films from 1942 to 1946, almost always in uncredited roles. Her first credited role was Mary, in the 1942 film “Flying with Music” in […]

Dorothy Janis (1910 - 2010)

Born as Dorothy Penelope Jones in Dallas, Texas, her short film career began when she was visiting a cousin, who was working on a film for Fox Film Corporation in 1927. Her beauty was noticed at once and she was asked to make a screen test. Janis went on to make five films: four silents […]

Dorothy Jean Dandridge (1922 - 1965)

Dorothy Jean Dandridge (1922 - 1965)

Dorothy Jordan (1906 - 1988)

Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Dorothy Jordan studied at Southwestern University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She performed in Broadway musicals, including Garrick Gaieties. Jordan made her screen debut in the 1929 film The Taming of the Shrew[2] and went on to make twenty-two more films in the next four years, including Min and Bill […]

Dorothy Kamenshek (1925 - 2010)

Dorothy Kamenshek (December 21, 1925 – May 17, 2010) was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player. She batted and threw left-handed. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Kamenshek played outfield for a local softball league, and at the age of 17 she was spotted by a scout from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. After tryouts […]

Dorothy Karolyn Granger (1912 - 1995)

Popular actress of the 1920s through the 1960s. She often played the comic foil to Laurel & Hardy and in early Three Stooges shorts. (bio by: A.J. Marik) Cause of death: Cancer

Dorothy Kathleen Gulliver (1908 - 1997)

Actress. “Baby Star” and “Gulliver” were part of The Collegians silent series of the late 1920s. She also made some silent serials with William Desmond, Jack Hoxie and Hoot Gibson. (bio by: MC) Cause of death: Aspiration Pneumonia due to ASVD

Dorothy Lamour (1914 - 1996)

Born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton in New Orleans, the daughter of Carmen Louise (née LaPorte) and John Watson Slaton, both of whom were waiters. Lamour was of French Louisianan, Spanish, and Irish descent. Her parents’ marriage lasted only a few years. Her mother married for the second time to Clarence Lambour, whose surname Dorothy later […]

Dorothy Layton (1912 - 2009)

Dorothy Layton (August 13, 1912 – June 4, 2009) was an American film actress of the early 1930s. Born as Dorothy Ann Wannenwetsch in Cincinnati, Ohio, Layton was selected as one of the “WAMPAS Baby Stars” for 1932.  In 1929 she went to California for a short visit and ended up staying; soon dating well-connected Hollywood […]

Dorothy Lee (1911 - 1999)

Dorothy Lee (May 23, 1911 – June 24, 1999) was an American actress and comedian during the 1930s, usually appearing alongside the popular Wheeler & Woolsey comedy team. Born Marjorie Elizabeth Millsap in Los Angeles, she started seeking film roles in 1929, after graduating from high school, but ended up in New York working on the […]

Dorothy Loudon (1925 - 2003)

Dorothy Loudon’s performance as the evil orphanage administrator Miss Hannigan in Annie won her the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical in 1977. In the show she introduced the seminal showtunes “Little Girls” and “Easy Street.” Of her portrayal, Clive Barnes wrote, “As the wicked Miss Hannigan, […]

Dorothy Mackaill (1903 - 1990)

By 1920, Dorothy Mackaill had begun making the transition from “Follies Girl” to film actress. That same year she appeared in her first film, the Wilfred Noy-directed mystery, The Face at the Window. Mackaill also appeared in several comedies of 1920 opposite actor Johnny Hines. In 1921 she appeared opposite Anna May Wong, Noah Beery, […]

Dorothy Mackaye (1899 - 1940)

Actress,  Playwright.  Her name is scarcely remembered today;  she wasn’t even a star in her own time.  But she was once known as an infamous femme fatale,  the focal point of a deadly love triangle that rocked the movie community in the waning days of the silent era.  A native of Denver,  Colorado (although she […]

Dorothy McGuire (1928 - 2012)

Dorothy McGuire She was one-third of the music trio The McGuire Sisters. Dorothy was the middle of three sisters Christine (oldest) and Phyllis (youngest), their mother was an ordained minister, they were born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, a Northern suburb of Cincinnati. Due to their strict upbringing, contemporary music was not allowed and the […]

Dorothy McHugh (1907 - 1995)

Actress. Dorothy McHugh gained fame as “Mrs. Fletcher” in the commercials for LifeLine Systems Inc., a medical alarm system company. In the commercials she uttered the now famous line “I’ve fallen… and I can’t get up!” Ms. McHugh learned about the job from a tenant in one of the buildings she owned. She received $60 […]

Dorothy Meyer (1924 - 1987)

Actress, Model and an African American Rights Activist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to a Presbyterian minister. Her stage began at a young age, preforming on the Bible Belt where she appeared singing and acting in several religious themed productions. While World War II was going on, she worked as a typist and secretary in a […]

Dorothy Morris (1922 - 2011)

Dorothy Morris was born Dorothy Ruth Morris and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of a Methodist minister. She was the younger sister of Caren Marsh Doll, who later became a dancer and stand-in for Judy Garland. Morris studied acting under famed drama teacher Maria Ouspenskaya. She did a screen test for the female […]

Dorothy Olson (1917 - 1951)

Entertainer. Married to agent Fred Elswit, Dorothy was a member of the “Hollywood Blondes,” a comedy skating team who all appeared in the  1943 film “It Ain’t Hay.” She and her husband perished in a plane crash outside of Las Vegas in 1951. (bio by: TLS)  Family links:  Spouse:  Fred Elswit (1915 – 1951)* *Calculated […]

Dorothy Page (1904 - 1961)

Actress. Performing under her stage name of Dorothy Page, she was Hollywood’s first “Singing Cowgirl”. She was given a starring roles in Grand National Studios films such as “Ride’em Cowgirl”, “The Singing Cowgirl” and “Water Rustlers”. She died of cancer (bio by: William Barritt)

Dorothy Patrick (1921 - 1987)

During her early career Dorothy Patrick was billed under her birth name, Dorothea Davis, until she married a New York Rangers hockey star, Lynn Patrick, and became Dorothy Patrick. Though she had one son in the marriage, the aspiring actress remained career-bound, not ready to co-star as a housefrau. While appearing at dinner-club showcases in Jersey […]

Dorothy Phillips (1889 - 1980)

Dorothy Phillips (October 30, 1889 – March 1, 1980) was an American stage and film actress. Born Dorothy Gwendolyn Strible in Baltimore, Phillips began her career as a stage actress. She made her film debut in 1911, and appeared in over 150 films during her career. For a while she was nicknamed “Kid Nazimova” for her […]