Doris Day

Born: 1924

Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff, also known as Doris Day, was born to German immigrants in Cincinnati and her father served as the director of the city’s German singing societies. She was the youngest of three children.

Day started her career as a radio performer and vocalist, and from there went on to movies. Her first major film role was in “Romance on the High Seas.” In the next few years, Day would play in a number of musicals including “Tea for Two” and “Calamity Jane”. The song „Secret Love“ from the movie won the 1953 Academy Award for Best Song. After filming “Lucky Me,” Day went on to star in “Love Me or Leave Me,” and Hitchcock's “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. A song she performed in the movie „Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera),“ once again won her an Academy Award.

In the late 50s and early 60s her career took another boost with such popular films as “Pillow Talk,” co-starring Rock Hudson, who became a life-long friend and with whom she shot a series of films. From 1968 to 1973, Doris Day had her own sit-com, “The Doris Day Show.” As her acting career neared its end, Day focused her attention on animal protection, co-founding Actors and Others for Animals. In 1977, she founded the Doris Day Pet Foundation and ten years later she became a founding member and president of the Doris Day Animal League, a lobbying organization for laws regulating the treatment of animals. Doris Day was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 2004.