Doris Day

Doris Day married Al Jorden, a trombonist, in 1941. This marriage resulted in the birth of her only child, a son named Terry. Her husband was physically abusive, and thus she divorced him in 1943.

She married a saxophonist, George Weidler, in 1946. This union too was short-lived and ended in 1949.

Her third marriage was to Martin Melcher in 1951. Melcher adopted her son, and produced many of Doris Day’s movies. This marriage lasted for 17 years until Melcher's death in 1968.

She was born as Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 3 April, 1924. Her mother Alma Sophia was a housewife while her father Wilhelm von Kappelhoff was a music teacher and choir master. She had two older brothers.

Her parents separated while she was still a little girl, and she lived with her mother. Doris was interested in music and dance from a young age and formed a dance duo with Jerry Doherty in the mid-1930s.

She badly injured her legs in a tragic car accident in 1937 which made it impossible for her to follow her ambition of becoming a professional dancer. While recovering she listened to a lot of songs on radio and while singing along with them, she realized that she was blessed with a good voice. Her mother too recognized her potential as a singer and arranged for her to receive lessons from vocal coach Grace Raine.

Doris began her professional career as a vocalist on the WLW radio program ‘Carlin's Carnival’. Her radio performances attracted the attention of Barney Rapp, who was looking for a girl vocalist and appointed her.

She adopted the stage name Doris Day in 1939 while working for Rapp. She later on worked with Les Brown and released the song ‘Sentimental Journey’ in 1945 which became very popular and established her career as a successful singer.

She performed many songs with Brown’s band, and became a much-loved voice by the late 1940s. In 1947, she met the composer Jule Styne and his partner Sammy Cahn, who asked her to audition for a role in the film ‘Romance on the High Seas’.

The movie ‘Romance on the High Seas’ (1948) not only marked her debut as a film actress, but also provided her with her first No. 1 hit recording as a soloist, ‘It's Magic’. By the early 1950s, she became one of America’s most sought-after actresses and singers, and was a darling of the masses.

She co-starred with James Cagney in the 1955 biographical film, ‘Love Me or Leave Me’, which was based on the life story of Ruth Etting, a singer who rose from dancer to movie star. The film garnered critical and commercial success, becoming Doris Day's biggest hit so far.

Her portrayal of Jan Morrow in the romantic comedy, ‘Pillow Talk’, is undoubtedly one of her finest performances. She played the role of a successful interior decorator who shares a multiparty telephone line with a Broadway composer and playboy which gives rise to hilarious situations. The role earned her several awards and nominations.