Doris Roberta Merrick (nee Simpson, June 6, 1919 – November 30, 2019) was an American film actress and model.

Biography

Merrick was born in June 1919, to Joseph Simpson and Nellie Weber, and had five brothers and four sisters. She attended Hyde Park High School and worked as a singer with her sisters, before becoming a soloist at NBC, she subsequently worked as a model before signing a contract with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in 1941. She was first given the name Beth Drake but changed to Doris Merrick not long after. After appearing in an uncredited role in ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...

'', starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

, in 1941, she made her star film debut the following year in '' Girl Trouble''. While a couple of her roles went uncredited she had a notable supporting role in the

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo ...

comedy '' The Big Noise'' (1944). She appeared in the magazine ''

Yank, the Army Weekly ''Yank, the Army Weekly'' was a weekly magazine published by the United States military during World War II. History The idea for the magazine came from Egbert White, who had worked on the newspaper Stars and Stripes during World War I. He ...

'' during the WWII years and her professional acting career ended in 1955. She was married to boxer Max Marek from 1936 to 1944, before being married to rancher and lumberman John Meagher Knoll from 1946 to 1962. Merrick lived in the Golden Valley Estates Assisted Living Centre in

Yuma, Arizona Yuma ( coc, Yuum) is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 93,064 at the 2010 census, up from the 2000 census population of 77,515. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, M ...

and was going under her married name of Doris Hatfield. Merrick

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

in June 2019 and died in November.Lord Heath: Doris Merrick profile
/ref>

Filmography

*''

'' (1942) Uncredited *'' Girl Trouble'' (1942) as Susan *''

That Other Woman ''That Other Woman'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Ray McCarey, written by Jack Jungmeyer, and starring Virginia Gilmore, James Ellison, Dan Duryea, Janis Carter, Alma Kruger and Lon McCallister. It was released on November 13, 1 ...

'' (1942) as Irene *'' Time to Kill'' (1942) as Linda Conquest Murdock *''

Heaven Can Wait Heaven Can Wait may refer to: * ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1943 film), a comedy based on the stage play ''Birthday'' by Leslie Bush-Fekete * ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1978 film), an American football comedy starring Warren Beatty; a remake of the 1941 film ...

'' (1943) as Nellie Brown (uncredited) *''

Ladies of Washington ''Ladies of Washington'' is a 1944 American drama film directed by Louis King and starring Trudy Marshall, Ronald Graham and Anthony Quinn.Rowan p.9 It concentrates on a group of young women employed by the federal government in wartime Washin ...

'' (1944) as Susan *''

In the Meantime, Darling ''In the Meantime, Darling'' is a 1944 American drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Arthur Kober and Michael Uris focuses on a wealthy war bride (Jeanne Crain) who is forced to adjust to living in spartan condit ...

'' (1944) as Mrs. MacAndrews *'' The Big Noise'' (1944) as Evelyn *'' Sensation Hunters'' (1945) as Julie Rogers *''This Love of Ours'' (1945) as Vivian *''Hit the Hay'' (1945) as Sally Mansfield *''

Child of Divorce ''Child of Divorce'' is a 1946 American film directed by Richard O. Fleischer. It was the first film that he directed. RKO had adapted the play to film before as the 1934 film '' Wednesday's Child''. Plot summary Young Roberta "Bobby" Carter, onl ...

'' (1946) as Louise Norman *''

The Pilgrim Lady ''The Pilgrim Lady'' is a 1947 American comedy crime film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Lynne Roberts, Warren Douglas Warren Douglas (born Warren Douglas Wandberg; July 29, 1911 – November 15, 1997) was an American actor and sc ...

'' (1947) as Millicent Rankin *'' The Counterfeiters'' (1948) as Margo Talbot *'' The Fighting Stallion'' (1950) as Jeanne Barton *''

Untamed Women ''Untamed Women'' is a 1952 independent film, independently made American science fiction film, directed by W. Merle Connell, written by George Wallace Sayre, and starring Mikel Conrad and Doris Merrick. It was distributed by United Artists. Plo ...

'' (1952) as Sandra *'' The Neanderthal Man'' (1953) as Ruth Marshall *''

Interrupted Melody ''Interrupted Melody'' is a 1955 biographical musical film, filmed in CinemaScope and Eastman Color, directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Glenn Ford, Eleanor Parker, Roger Moore, and Cecil Kellaway. The film was produced for Metro-Goldwyn-Ma ...

'' (1955) as nurse (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * 1919 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American actresses American centenarians American film actresses American television actresses Women centenarians 21st-century American women {{US-actress-stub