Doris Nolan
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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 A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...
''. She appeared in plays and films during the 1930s and 1940s. Later she moved to the UK, where she made guest appearances on British television shows.


Early years

Nolan was the daughter of Frank J. Nolan, who was a woolen goods importer. She began acting 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 ''The Late Christopher Bean'' is a comedy drama adapted from ''Prenez garde à la peinture'' by René Fauchois. It exists in two versions: an American adaptation by Sidney Howard (1932) and an English version by Emlyn Williams (1933). Williams's i ...
'' there was seen by a talent scout, and that led to her getting a contract with
Fox Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
.


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 ''Our Little Girl'' is a 1935 American drama, in which Shirley Temple and Joel McCrea play the leading roles. The film was the final work of the veteran director, John S. Robertson. The protagonist, Molly Middleton (Temple), is the daughter of a ...
'' with
Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
, but after she botched her scene several times, Fox dropped her from the movie and gave her no more 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 ''Night of January 16th'' (sometimes advertised as ''The Night of January 16th'') is a theatrical play by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, inspired by the death of the "Match King", Ivar Kreuger. Set in a courtroom during a murder trial, an u ...
'', produced by her manager Al Woods. She was nervous about playing the part of an older
femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...
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 Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
. 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 A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...
'', where she played alongside
Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...
and
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...
. Her subsequent film roles went downhill, but she reinvigorated her Broadway career with an 18-month stint in ''
The Doughgirls ''The Doughgirls'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by James V. Kern based on the 1942 hit Broadway play written by Joseph Fields. The film works around three newlywed couples, focusing on the Halstead couple, played by Jane Wyman and ...
'', a popular comedy play about the difficulties of life during World War II. It was made into a film. Her final Broadway appearance was in '' The Closing Door'', alongside her husband, who had written the play. It got poor reviews and closed after a few weeks. After moving to the UK in the early 1950s, Nolan worked in regional stage productions and took guest parts on television series, such as ''
The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...
'', where she appeared in 1962 in "The Latin Touch", the second episode of the first season. Her final television appearance was in an episode of ITV's '' Brideshead Revisited'' serial in 1981.


Personal life

Nolan married Canadian actor
Alexander Knox Alexander Knox (16 January 1907 – 25 April 1995) was a Canadian actor on stage, screen, and occasionally television. He was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance as Woodrow Wilson in the film '' Wilson'' (1944). ...
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. They had a son Andrew Joseph Knox (born 1947) who became an actor and appeared in ''
Doctor on the Go ''Doctor on the Go'' is a British television comedy series based on a set of books by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of doctors. The series follows directly from its predecessor '' Doctor at Sea'' and was the final series ...
'' and who was married to Imogen Hassall. In 1987 (when his career had nosedived), he boarded a Jersey ferry bound for the mainland to visit a friend in London. When the ferry docked, he was not on board. He is presumed to have either drowned accidentally or to have committed suicide.IMDB Knox's political activity caused him trouble during the Hollywood blacklist, and the couple moved to the UK so he could continue working. She stayed in the UK until her own death on July 29, 1998.


Credits


Broadway


Film


Television


References


Works cited

* *


External links

* * *
Doris Nolan papers, 1930-1944
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Doris 1916 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from New Rochelle, New York American emigrants to the United Kingdom