Eddie Dowling (born Joseph Nelson Goucher; December 11, 1889Date and year of birth as per baptismal records of Precious Blood church,

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsock ...

, where Dowling was christened — February 18, 1976) was an American actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, composer and theatrical producer.

Early years

Born Joseph Nelson Goucher on December 11, 1889, he was the 14th of 17 children born to a father of French-Canadian descent and a mother of Irish descent in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. (Some sources give his middle name as Narcisse.) He took his professional surname from the maiden name of his mother, Bridget Mary Dowling, who was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island. His father was Charles Goucher, a textile worker, who was born in St Marcel, Province of Québec, Canada.

Stage

Dowling began his career in vaudeville with the Homan Stock Company at the Scenic Temple theatre in Providence, RI. He appeared on stage for many years, including appearances in the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

.Cullen, Frank and Hackman, Florence (2006). ''Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America'', pp. 322-23. Routledge. . His Broadway debut came in ''The Velvet Lady'' (1919. His most famous role was as Tom Wingfield in the original Broadway production of ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...

'', starring opposite

Laurette Taylor Laurette Taylor (born Loretta Helen Cooney; April 1, 1883Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1119; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 859; FHL microfilm: 1241119. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 Un ...

and

Julie Haydon Julie Haydon (born Donella Donaldson, June 10, 1910 – December 24, 1994) was an American Broadway, film and television actress who received second billing as the female lead in the Ben Hecht–Charles MacArthur 1935 film vehicle for Noël ...

. He produced the play's original Chicago production in 1944 and followed it to Broadway.

Politics

Dowling sought the 1934 Democratic nomination for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

seat from Rhode Island. At the time, ''Time'' reported that his great-grandfather and two great-grand uncles were the founders of Goucher College for Women in Baltimore and that "he was the 14th in a family of 17 children; his schooling had extended only up to the third grade; he had been a cabin boy and a music hall singer...and he owned a sausage factory in California."''Time'' magazine description of Dowling
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Personal life

Dowling was married to the Scottish-born actress and stage performer

Rachel Rice Dooley Ray Dooley (born Rachel Rice Dool; died January 28, 1984) was a vaudeville performer in the [Ziegfeld Follies with others including W. C. Fields, Will Rogers and Fanny Brice. From there she moved to other musical stage performances. Biography Ra ...

, who specialized in physical comedy; they had two children, Jack and Maxine. Jack Dowling was killed in a plane crash in Brazil in 1955 when he was ''Time'' magazine's Buenos Aires bureau chief.

Death

On February 18, 1976, Dowling died at a nursing home in Smithfield, Rhode Island at the age of 86. His widow died in 1984, aged 95, in East Hampton, Long Island, New York.

References

External links

* *
''Time'', "POLITICAL NOTES: Stage & Screen Senator?", May 14, 1934
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Eddie 1889 births 1976 deaths American male stage actors American theatre managers and producers American people of French-Canadian descent American people of Irish descent People from Smithfield, Rhode Island People from Woonsocket, Rhode Island Vaudeville performers 20th-century American male actors