American actress and singer; on-screen from 1948 and known from Texas to Tibet, world beloved as everybody’s favorite virgin. Her films were always top box-office, light romance, pleasant tunes and good humor.
Born to William and Alma Kappelhoff, her parents divorced after Doris discovered her father in bed with her best friend’s mother. She studied dance as a kid until she was 13. As a passenger in a car hit by a train; her leg was injured. While regaining the use of her leg, she studied singing.
She became a popular radio singer with the big bands of Les Brown and Bob Crosby in the ’40s. This led to a part in “Romance on the High Seas” replacing Betty Hutton in 1948. She starred in several musicals: “Lullaby Of Broadway,” “On Moonlight Bay,” “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” “Tea For Two,” “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” “Calamity Jane,” “Young At Heart,” “The Pajama Game,” “Teacher’s Pet.” She proved her skill as a dramatic actress in “Love Me or Leave Me” with James Cagney. Day’s films also include Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “Midnight Lace,” romantic comedies “Pillow Talk,” Please Don’t Eat The Daisies,” “Lover Come Back,” “Billy Rose’s Jumbo,” “That Touch Of Mink,” “Move Over Darling,” “The Thrill Of It All,” “Send Me No Flowers” and “With Six You Get Eggroll ”
After the death of her third husband and learning his business partner had squandered all her money, she went back to work on a TV series for several years.
Day married a trombone player at age 17, who beat her and was psychopathically jealous. She left him after son Terry was born, 8 February l942. At 22 she married a saxophonist in “Les Brown’s Band of Renown.” Her third marriage on 23 April 1951 was to Marty Melcher, who mismanaged her money. Her fourth marriage was to 11-year-younger Barry Comden, an ex-restaurateur. With Hotchner, she wrote an autobiography in 1975, “Doris Day, Her Own Story.”
Always an animal lover, by 1993, Day was happily retired on an 11-acre estate in Carmel, CA with six housekeepers and a passel of dogs and cats, a pet foundation and animal league to look after, and a partner in a Carmel hotel. Fit and trim, she looked great at 69. At the turn of the century, she was more of a recluse.
Day died on 13 May 2019, after contracting pneumonia, in Carmel Valley, CA.
Link to Wikipedia biography