Person Biography:
Doris Mary Kappelhoff was born on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alma Sophia (Welz) and William Joseph Kappelhoff. She had two brothers, Richard and Paul. Her parents divorced when she was still a child, and she lived with her mother.
As a young girl, Doris loved to dance and formed a dance act with a boy named Jerry Doherty. They won a local talent contest and even took a trip to Hollywood to test their luck. However, a car accident ended her dancing career before it began.
Undeterred, Doris turned to singing and began touring with the Les Brown Band at the age of 17. She met her first husband, Al Jorden, while on tour and they got married in 1941. The marriage was marked by violence and they divorced two years later.
Doris's singing career continued to flourish, and she married George Weidler in 1946. However, this marriage was short-lived, and she soon signed a contract with Warner Bros. to pursue a career in film.
Doris's breakthrough role came in 1948 with the film "Romance on the High Seas." She went on to star in several successful films throughout the 1950s, including "Calamity Jane," "Lucky Me," and "Pillow Talk."
In the 1960s, Doris began to slow down her film career and focus on her personal life. She married Martin Melcher in 1951 and adopted his son, Terry. Martin took charge of her career and made deals for her to star in films she didn't particularly care for.
Doris's marriage to Martin was marked by financial struggles, and she discovered that he had squandered her earnings. However, she was eventually awarded $22 million by the courts.
In her later years, Doris dedicated her life to animal rights activism and founded the Doris Day Animal League. She passed away on May 13, 2019, at the age of 97, leaving behind a legacy as one of America's most beloved actresses.
