Ray Dooley (born Rachel Rice Dool; died January 28, 1984) was a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

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

Ray Dooley was born in Glasgow, Scotland as Rachel Rice Dool to Robert Rogers Dooley, an Irish-born circus clown. (The family name was later changed to Dooley.) Her brothers, Gordon Dooley, Gordon, Johnny, and Willie Dooley, were also performers. According to Port of Philadelphia immigration records, Mrs. Mary Doole ic aged 29, arrived with her small children, Will (aged four), John (aged two) and Rachel, (11 mos. old), as passengers on board the ''Manitoban'' in June 1890. They had sailed from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, and their destination was

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. She made her performing debut in a

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spe ...

in Philadelphia She played "babies and brats" 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 ...

after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathe ...

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

, and

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. S ...

, among others. From there she moved to musical stage performances.

Marriage

She eloped with

Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling (born Joseph Nelson Goucher; December 11, 1889Date and year of birth as per baptismal records of Precious Blood church, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where Dowling was christened — February 18, 1976) was an American actor, director, ...

; the couple had two children, a son, Jack, and a daughter, Mary Maxine (later Mrs. Clark). From 1919–34, Dooley teamed with Dowling for

and in ''Thumbs Up'' in 1934, after which she retired. She came out of retirement in 1948 to appear in ''Hope's the Thing'' and ''Home Life of a Buffalo''.

Death

Ray Dooley died on January 28, 1984 at her home in

East Hampton, New York The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York. At the time of the 2020 United States census, it had a total ...

. She was buried alongside her husband in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Cumberland, Providence County, Rhode Island.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dooley, Rachel Rice Year of birth missing 1984 deaths Actresses from Glasgow Age controversies Vaudeville performers British emigrants to the United States