Toni Darnay (born Mercy Mustell, April 11, 1921 – January 5, 1983) was an American actress and dancer.

Early years

Darnay was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Robert R. Mustell, was a doctor, and her mother had acted in silent films and on stage in theaters owned by Darnay's grandfather, Landon Gates. She attended College Prep High School in Chicago, and at the Chicago Art Theatre she studied acting, dancing, and singing. As a youngster, she danced in clubs, including

The Palmer House The Palmer House – A Hilton Hotel is a historic hotel in Chicago's Loop area. It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Palmer House was the city's first hotel with elevators ...

and

Chez Paree The Chez Paree was a Chicago nightclub known for its glamorous atmosphere, elaborate dance numbers, and top entertainers. It operated from 1932 until 1960 in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago at 610 N. Fairbanks Court. The club was the epi ...

and performed in vaudeville, repertory theater, and summer stock but often found her ventures ended by her father. After taking night classes for a year at Northwestern University (often dashing from the campus to a night club to dance), she went to New York, looking for work on Broadway at age 19.

Career

In Chicago in 1940, Darnay was a member of Winnie Hoveler's Dancing Darlings, performing in the floor show at Harry's New Yorker. Darnay acted in stock theater companies at Oconomowac Walk, Wisconsin, and Bridgehampton, Long Island, among other places. She toured with a company of ''Arsenic and Old Lace'', as the ingenue lead, and acted in ''Black Narcissus'', ''The Duenna'', and ''Name Your Own Poison''. On Broadway, Darnay danced in ''Sadie Thompson'' (1944), was an understudy in ''The Women'' (1973), and was both a performer and an understudy in ''Molly'' (1973), ''The Heiress'' (1976), and ''Vieux Carre'' (1977). Other stage productions in which she performed included ''The Heiress'', ''Life with Father'', ''Molly'', and ''The Women''. While Darnay was in an out-of-town opening for her first Broadway play, she auditioned for, and won, the title role in the radio serial ''The Strange Romance of Evelyn Winters'', which ran on CBS from November 20, 1944, to November 12, 1948. She also acted on other radio soap operas, including starring as Nona Dutell on ''Nona from Nowhere'', and playing Sylvia Field in ''

When a Girl Marries ''When a Girl Marries'' is an American daytime radio drama that was broadcast on three major radio networks from 1939 to 1957. Created by Elaine Sterne Carrington (who also was responsible for ''Pepper Young's Family'' and ''Rosemary''), it was th ...

,'' Libby Allen on '' Stella Dallas'', and Nancy on ''

Just Plain Bill ''Just Plain Bill'' was a 1932-1955 15-minute American radio drama program heard on CBS Radio and NBC Radio. It was "a story of people just like people we all know.” Originally called ''Bill the Barber'', the program began on CBS on September 19 ...

''. She was also heard regularly on ''

Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories ''Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories'' is a 15-minute radio drama that aired January 18, 1937, to November 16, 1956, on CBS, sponsored by Spry shortening. The program was heard weekdays at 11:45 a.m. until 1946, when it moved to 12:15 p.m. ...

'' on radio and appeared frequently on television programs. Her work on TV included '' Eleanor and Franklin'', nine ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

'' programs, and several soap operas, including running roles in ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...

'' and ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focu ...

''. Darnay also appeared in films, including ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...

'', ''

Pendulum A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the ...

'', and '' The Swimmer''.

Personal life

In March 1947, Darnay married writer Elwood (Bill) Hoffman. They had two children. She later married theatrical columnist Hobe Morrison, and they remained wed until her death.

Death

On January 5, 1983, Darnay died of lung cancer at her home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

at age 61.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darnay, Toni 1921 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American radio actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Chicago