| NET WORTH: | $ 200 Million |
|---|---|
| Source of Wealth: | Actress |
| Born: | April 3, 1922 |
| Death: | May 13, 2019 |
| Spouse: | Divorced |
| Children: | One (Terry Paul Melcher) |
| Birth Name: | Terry Paul Mekcher |
| Height: | 5 ft 6 in (1.7m) |
Doris Day is an actress, singer, television producer, and an animal welfare activist. She recorded over 600 songs from 1947 to 1967 under Columbia Records Label. She also appeared in over 30 feature films and is the top ranked female box-office star of all time.
Early Life
Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff was born on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her mother, Alma Sophia, was a homemaker while his father, William Joseph, is a music teacher and choirmaster. Her parents separated due to alleged infidelity.
Day was originally into dancing and had formed a duo with Jerry Doherty in the mid-1903s. However, she met a car accident on October 13, 1937 that crushed her right leg. It curtailed her dream to become a professional dancer.
While recovering from the accident, Day developed her interest in singing. She took singing lessons under vocal coach Grace Raine. In 1939, she started her career as a singer on the radio program Carlin’s Carnival and Charlie Yee’s Shanghai Inn. She caught the attention of jazz musician Barney Rapp and hired her as a female vocalist. After working with Rapp, she worked with Jimmy James, Bob Crosby, and Les Brown.In 1945, her first hits Sentimental Journey and My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time became so popular. In 1946, she parted ways with Brown. She signed with Columbia Records and made her solo debut in 1947. She recorded over 600 songs with Columbia from 1947 to 1967. She received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
Movie Career
Day’s rendition of the song Embraceable You led to her first movie Romance on the High Seas in 1948. She portrayed Georgia Garrett, a nightclub singer hired by Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) to take her place on a cruise. The movie tells the story of the romantic misunderstanding between Elvira and her husband (Don DeFore). The film earned $3.2 million worldwide.
She portrayed the lead role, Ruth Etting, in Love Me or Leave Me in 1955. The movie was based on the true-to-life story of Ruth Etting, a jazz singer who rose from dancer to movie star. The film earned $5.6 million, gaining a total profit of $595,000.
Day rose to fame when she became part of the romantic comedy film Pillow Talk in 1959. She starred as Jan Morrow, an interior decorator who shared a telephone party line with Brad Allen (Rock Hudson). The movie follows the story of Jan and Brad, when the latter disguised as a naive tourist to seduce the former. The film was a real hit earning $18,750,000 domestically. It also ranked number one for seven weeks at the US box office. The movie gave her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Awards and Achievement
Day received multiple nominations and awards during her lifetime. She earned the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. She also received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s Career Achievement Award.
She became the second woman to be number at the box office four times (1960, 1962, 1963, and 1964). She also set the record for receiving seven consecutive Laurel Awards as the top female box office star.
Animal Advocacy
Day is not just an outstanding singer and actress but an active animal advocate too. She co-founded Actors and Others for Animals in 1971. She also spearheaded the Doris Day Animal Foundation and the Doris Day Animal League. In 2004, she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush.
Relationship
Day got married four times.
Day first married abrasive musician Al Jorden in March 1941. The pair dated for one year before tying the knot. They had a son named Terry Paul, who was born on February 8, 1942. She filed a divorce in 1943 because of physical abuse. Day then dated saxophonist George Weidler for one year before getting married in 1946. They divorced after 3 years on May 31, 1949.
Day got married for the third time with music producer Martin Melcher in 1951. When Melcher died, she found out that Melcher and a business partner wasted more than $20 million of her money. He also left her with $500,000 debt. She agreed to star in The Doris Day Show to regain her finances.
Day had her fourth marriage with Barry Comden in 1976. The pair met at the Beverly Hills Old World Restaurant, where Comden is working. They split in 1981.
Day died at the age of 97 on May 13, 2019 because of pneumonia.
