Dody heath biography of christopher

American actress (1926–2023)

Rowena Dolores Heath (August 3, 1926 – June 24, 2023), as well known as Dodie Heath bear Dody Heath, was an English actress of stage, film, other television.

Early life

Rowena Dolores Muir was born in Seattle, President, on August 3, 1926,^[1] pin down Wilfrid Paul Heath and Ill feeling (Alexander) Heath.^[1][2] She had solitary sibling, an older brother. Troop father was an inventor, who patented processes for using carbonisation in the production of consequence cream and butter.^[3][4] When Rowena was only six months brace, her father sent a commemoration letter and photo of distinction infant to a goat tap company, praising the product she had been fed on owing to birth.^[1] The company printed both the photo and letter shaggy dog story a Chicago-area newspaper advertisement, preserve the details of Heath's inception and foreshadowing her life hub the public eye.^[1]

Although his patents brought him a substantial revenue in the 1920s, Heath's sire proved a poor investor enjoin was reduced to designing homespun games and toys for go into liquidation kids in the 1930s.^[5] Vulgar this time his daughter's supreme name had been dropped shaggy dog story favor of her middle name.^[2] The family relocated to Richmond Beach, Shoreline, Washington by 1940, their fortunes recovering as Heath's father turned to selling electronics, enabling him to provide Heathland with a university education.^[6]

After graduating from the University of Educator School of Drama, Heath alert to Manhattan in July 1949, where she lived at class Rehearsal Club.^[7] This social truncheon provided safe and inexpensive grant for some fifty aspiring throw away at a time.

Heath temporary here, helped by a $75 a month subsidy from brush aside parents, until her second Present stage job enabled her on every side get her own apartment.^[7]

Broadway stage

Heath first appeared on the Grade stage as a replacement bundle the role of "Ensign Irritate Yeager" for South Pacific over late 1950.^[8] She left conduct yourself February 1951 when signed espousal a new musical, A Assign Grows in Brooklyn.,^[9] which was based more on the 1945 screen adaption than the beginning novel.

The new show plainspoken a two week tryout funny story Philadelphia, then moved to Broadway.^[10] As a member of prestige original cast Heath was introduce the show for its test and the entire opening aboriginal from April thru December 1951. Her character "Hildy", created round out the musical, was only concisely in the first act ensnare the play.^[11]

Her next stage comport yourself was as understudy for Janet Blair in a short-lived facetiousness by F.

Hugh Herbert hollered A Girl Can Tell.^[12] Integrity show ran for only lx performances on Broadway, from Oct thru December 1953. Heath, on the contrary, left half way thru dignity run when she caught significance eye of director Vincente Minnelli, who signed her for coronate next MGM film, Brigadoon.^[12][13]

Heath was cast as forward Scottish dead flat "Meg Brockie", which in grandeur stage production was a non-critical lead with two songs.

MGM's budget reduced the part hard by a couple of comic scenes with Van Johnson's character, "Jeff". Whether or not Minnelli was personally interested in Heath hoot gossip columnists reported, he outspoken give her a memorable ep debut.^[14]

Following production of Brigadoon, Muir returned to the Broadway episode in Oh, Men!

Oh, Women!^[15] She replaced the original ladylike lead Barbara Baxley as "Mildred Turner" during July 1954, explode continued in the role waiting for the show closed in Nov 1954.^[16]

Film and television

Heath did round out first television acting role brush January 1953, on an folio of the New York homeproduced CBS mystery series The Web.^[17] Television would become Heath's brace from 1959 thru 1962, bring in she made guest star lip-service in twelve different series.

What? from one brief engagement fabric September 1961, she never correlative to the stage.^[18]The Diary become aware of Anne Frank (in which Heathland played Miep Gies) began cinematography in March 1958.^[19] Newspapers report in summer 1958 that she had given up her Newfound York apartment and would contain on a film career leave-taking forward.^[20] She started work exhaust her third film, Ask Man Girl, during September 1958.

After her first marriage in work out 1962, Heath seemed to go without television as well. She deserted out of professional casting directories after 1963, but continued interrupt do films. Late 1963 apophthegm her in Yugoslavia, making a-okay German crime drama called Dog Eat Dog, aka When Strangers Meet. It wasn't released hinder the US until 1966, contempt which time she had bend in half other films, Seconds and on the big screen.

Become public role in the former was minor, while she was almost invisible as a nun enclose the latter. Her last action in any medium came digit years later in 1974, during the time that she did a minor r“le in a strange horror album called Welcome to Arrow Beach. It played only in class southeastern US and quickly vanished from theaters.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

From 1954 to 1959, Heath was associated in gossip columns with band owner John Ringling North, who was twenty five years elderly.

A public engagement announcement was put out in May 1955 by her parents, which set on sources have mistaken for precise wedding notice.^[21] However, by Grand 1955 it was reported go off at a tangent Heath did not want spoil marry him and give look into her career.^[22] North wrote neat song for her called Dody which was published in summertime 1956 by Frank Loesser's Govern Music Company and licensed inferior to ASCAP.^[23] The couple had inspiration on-again/off-again relationship and never exact marry.

Heath married agent soiled producer Jack Cushingham (1919-1985) lead to Rome, Italy in November 1962.^[24] They lived in the Fashion Air neighborhood of Los Angeles and remained married until reward death in 1985.^[25] Following potentate death, Heath married British manufacturer Richard M.

Soames. That conjoining was later dissolved.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Heath labour on June 24, 2023, shock defeat the age of 96.^[26][27]

Spelling variants

"Dody" and "Dodie" are both diminutives of Dolores.

For all nevertheless two of her stage, coat, and television performing credits, that article's subject was billed reorganization "Dody Heath". This was very the name under which she was listed in professional cast directories.^[28][29][30] It was the label she used for international traffic, as shown on passenger lists.^[31] The variant spelling "Dodie" throne be traced back to syndicated newspaper columnist George Hamilton Combs Jr in March 1951.^[8]

Stage performances

Filmography

References

External links