Doro Merande

Plain, angular Doro Merande was one of those delightful character actresses you couldn't take your eyes off of, no matter how minuscule the part. She excelled at playing older than she was -- doting aunts, inveterate gossips, curt secretaries and small-minded townspeople -- all topped with an amusing warble in her voice and bristly eccentric edge. Too bad then that she wasn't used more in films, but she preferred live theater and based herself for the most part on the East Coast. She was born Dora Matthews in Kansas in 1892 and orphaned as a child. Growing up in boarding schools, she headed to New York and pursued an acting career immediately after finishing her education. She appeared long and hard on the stock stage before making it on Broadway at age 43. She settled there sparking over 25 Broadway plays in her lifetime, including a scene-stealing turn in the classic Thorton Wilder play "Our Town" which brought her to Hollywood to preserve the role on film. On and off she remained a delightful film and TV cameo player with roles in The Gazebo (1959), The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966), and The Front Page (1974). She and star Enid Markey (Jane of the "Tarzan" film silents) starred together as pampering aunts in the sitcom Bringing Up Buddy (1960), but, despite promising ratings, the two veteran actresses did not get along and the series folded after only a season. Ms. Merande was also a recurring presence for Jackie Gleason on his variety show. She died, in fact, of a stroke while there in Miami to film an episode. Date of Birth 31 March 1892, Columbia, Kansas Date of Death 1 November 1975, New York City, New York (stroke)

Known For: Acting

Born: Columbus, Kansas, USA, 1892-03-29

Died: 1975-11-01

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1931	Personal Maid	Mrs. Wurtz's Maid (uncredited)	30
2	1932	Wayward	Maid (uncredited)	60
3	1933	State Fair	Mrs. Metcalfe's Acquaintance at Food Contest (Uncredited)	62
4	1933	Strictly Personal	Club Member	50
5	1933	Bondage	Boarding House Matron (uncredited)	0
6	1933	Moonlight and Pretzels		0
7	1935	Navy Wife	Nurse Sharpe	50
8	1935	Bad Boy	Mrs. Jackson	50
9	1940	Our Town	Mrs. Soames	57
10	1948	The Snake Pit	Asylum Patient (uncredited)	71
11	1949	Cover Up	Hilda	65
12	1951	Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell	Mrs. Hammer	66
13	1951	The Whistle at Eaton Falls	Miss Pringle	62
14	1955	The Seven Year Itch	Waitress at Vegetarian Restaurant (uncredited)	71
15	1955	The Man with the Golden Arm	Vi	72
16	1959	The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker	Miss Haskins	60
17	1960	The Gazebo	Matilda	69
18	1963	The Cardinal	Picket	65
19	1964	Kiss Me, Stupid	Mrs. Pettibone	70
20	1966	The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!	Muriel Everett	64
21	1967	Hurry Sundown	Ada Hemmings	65
22	1968	Skidoo	The Mayor	48
23	1969	Change of Habit	Rose	54
24	1971	Making It	Librarian	45
25	1974	The Front Page	Jennie	73

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1951	Tales of Tomorrow		60
2	1952	Omnibus		60
3	1955	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Mrs. Herman	77
4	1959	The Twilight Zone	Sadie	85
5	1960	Thriller	Melba Pennaroyd	64
6	1960	Bringing Up Buddy	Aunt Iris Flower	0
7	1961	The New Breed	Miss Stewart	70
8	1962	Sam Benedict		60

Doro Merande

Film

Television