Occupation Actress Children Andrew Knox Role Actress | Name Doris Nolan Years active 1936-1981 | |
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Born July 14, 1916 ( 1916-07-14 ) New Rochelle, New York, U.S. Died July 29, 1998, Berwick-upon-Tweed, United Kingdom Spouse Alexander Knox (m. 1944–1995) Movies Holiday, Moon Over Burma, The Servant, As Good as Married, Top of the Town Similar People Alexander Knox, George Cukor, Andrew Knox, Imogen Hassall, Louis King | ||
Doris Nolan (July 14, 1916 – July 29, 1998) was an American actress best known for her Broadway roles and her appearance in the 1938 movie Holiday. She appeared in a number of plays and Hollywood movies during the 1930s and 1940s. Later she moved to England, where she made guest appearances on British television shows.
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Early years
Nolan was the daughter of Frank J. Nolan, whose business was importing woolen goods. Her entry into dramatics came when she was in high school in New Rochelle, New York. After graduation, she joined the Provincetown Players in 1933, working as the director's secretary to pay her tuition. The following summer, she joined the Clinton Hollow Theatre in Poughkeepsie, New York. Her acting as the female lead in The Late Christopher Bean there was seen by a talent scout, and that led to her getting a contract with Fox Studios.
Career
Nolan's first professional acting contract was with Fox Film Corporation, when she was 16 years old. She was given a small role in Our Little Girl with Shirley Temple, but after she botched her scene several times, Fox dropped her from the movie and gave her no further work.
She then switched to Broadway, where she achieved greater success. Although she was just 17, Nolan was cast as the female lead in Night of January 16th, which was being produced by her manager, Al Woods. She was very nervous about playing the part of an older femme fatale who was the mistress (and possibly murderer) of a rich businessman. Despite her jitters, the show was a success and Nolan got positive reviews.
When Nolan left the play, Woods sent her back to Hollywood, getting her a contract with Universal Pictures. She continued to move back and forth between movies and theater throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Her most prominent film appearance was in the 1938 version of Holiday, where she played alongside Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Her subsequent film roles went downhill, but she reinvigorated her Broadway career with an 18-month stint in The Doughgirls, a popular comedy about the difficulties of life during World War II. Her final Broadway appearance was in The Closing Door, alongside her husband, who had also written the play. It got poor reviews and closed after just a few weeks.
After moving to England in the early 1950s, Nolan worked in regional stage productions and took guest parts on television series. Her final television appearance was in an episode of ITV's Brideshead Revisited serial in 1981.
Personal life
Nolan married Canadian actor Alexander Knox in a civil ceremony on December 30, 1944. The judge presiding over the wedding almost mistakenly pronounced her married to Knox's best man, but they stopped him and redid the vows. Knox's political activity caused him trouble during the Hollywood blacklist, and the couple moved to England so he could continue working. She stayed in England after his death in 1995, until her own death on July 29, 1998.