Introduction
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, 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.
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.
As post-war work became more scarce, she emigrated to Italy to revive her career, as her sister had done.
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.
Back in the United States, she returned to film in Running Target (1956) and appeared in the 1977 production The Car.
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.
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. Her other Broadway credits include Panama Hattie (1942), Banjo eyes (1942), Beat the Band (1942), and New Faces of 1943 (1943).
Personal life
Dowling dated Billy Wilder during the 1940s 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; they divorced in 1959. She married Leonard Kaufman April 20, 1960. They were still married at the time of her death.
Death
Dowling died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, June 18, 2004. She was 81. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.
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