Doreen Lang (February 15, 1915 – April 21, 1999) was a New Zealand-born American character actress, remembered for roles in theatre, television and films.
Life and career
Lang was born in
Gisborne, New Zealand, and studied drama in London.
[Bartney, Rashonda]
"Doreen Lang"
''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', June 15, 1999
She played Edith in
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...
's ''
Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to:
* ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward
* ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play
* ''Blithe Spirit'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...
'' on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
from 1941 to 1943. Other Broadway shows included ''
Make Way for Lucia
''Make Way for Lucia'' is a 1948 comedy play by the British writer John Van Druten. It is based on the 1931 novel ''Mapp and Lucia'' by E. F. Benson. In a small town in pre-First World War England, a pretentious new arrival, Lucia, crosses sword w ...
'' (1948), ''I Know My Love'' (1949), ''Season in the Sun'' (1950) and ''Faithfully Yours'' (1951).
Lang's live TV performances included the title role in ''The Story of Mary Surrat'' (1955) for ''
Kraft Television Theatre
''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...
''; among her other television appearances, she played in episodes of ''
Studio One'' from 1954 to 1957 and was in the daytime drama ''
The Nurses'' (1965). Later, she appeared as guest star on numerous TV dramas, such as ''
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to:
* ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series
* ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...
'' (1968), ''
Mod Squad
Mod, MOD or mods may refer to:
Places
* Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band
* M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US
* ...
'' (1969), ''
Gunsmoke
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
'' (1970), ''
Mannix
''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...
'' (1971) and ''
The Waltons
''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...
'' (1973).
[
Her first film role was in ]Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's ''The Wrong Man
''The Wrong Man'' is a 1956 American docudrama film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film was drawn from the true story of an innocent man charged with a crime, as described in the book ''The True Sto ...
'' (1956), followed by in an episode of ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...
'' (1958), and roles in ''North by Northwest
''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to ...
'' (1959) and '' The Birds'' (1963).[ Her other films included '']Wild in the Country
''Wild in the Country'' is a 1961 American musical–drama film directed by Philip Dunne and starring Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, and Millie Perkins. Based on the 1958 novel ''The Lost Country'' by J. R. Salamanca, the screenplay c ...
'' (1961), ''The Cabinet of Caligari
''The Cabinet of Caligari'' is a 1962 American horror film by :fr:Roger Kay, Roger Kay, starring Glynis Johns, Dan O'Herlihy, and Richard Davalos, and released by 20th Century Fox.
Although the film's title is very similar to the German Silent ...
'' (1962), ''The Group
The Group may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Group'' (Australian TV series), 1971 situation comedy produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7
* ''The Group'' (Canadian TV series), 1968–70 music variety on CBC Television
* ''The Group ...
'' (1966), ''Brian's Song
''Brian's Song'' is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the life of Brian Piccolo (James Caan), a Chicago Bears football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro in 1965, told through his friendship with teammate Gale Sayers ...
'' (1971), ''A Death of Innocence
''A Death of Innocence'' is a 1971 American made-for-television drama film directed by Paul Wendkos.
Plot
A woman attends the murder trial of her daughter.
Cast
Reception
The film was very successful in the ratings being the second most watche ...
'' (1971), ''Death Sentence
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
'' (1974), ''Death In Canaan'' (1978), ''Like Normal People'' (1979) and ''Almost an Angel
''Almost an Angel'' is a 1990 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by John Cornell and starring Paul Hogan. The original music score was composed by Maurice Jarre.
The film was a critical and commercial failure.
Plot
Terry Dean (Paul Hog ...
'' (1990).
Lang was married to Richard B. Rudy from 1939 to 1956, with whom she had a daughter, and, after a divorce, to Arthur Franz
Arthur Sofield Franz (February 29, 1920 – June 17, 2006) was an American actor whose most notable feature film role was as Lieutenant, Junior Grade, H. Paynter Jr. in ''The Caine Mutiny (film), The Caine Mutiny'' (1954).
Early life
Franz ...
from 1964, with whom she had three stepchildren.[
]
References
Sources
*
External links
Doreen Lang
at the IMDb
Doreen Lang
at the Internet Broadway Database
Photo of Lang in ''Blithe Spirit''
(1941)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Doreen
1915 births
1999 deaths
American film actresses
American television actresses
Deaths from cancer
People from Gisborne, New Zealand
20th-century American actresses