{{Short description|American actress (1915–1998)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Dorothy Lovett | image = Dorothy Lovett in Meet Dr. Christian (1939).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Lovett in ''Meet Dr. Christian'' (1939) | birth_date = {{Birth date|1915|02|16|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|1998|04|28|1915|02|16}} | death_place = Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. | alma_mater = Brown University (Pembroke College) | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1939&ndash;1965 | spouse = {{marriage|Jack Hively<br>|1941}} }}

'''Dorothy Lovett''' (February 16, 1915 &ndash; April 28, 1998)<ref>{{cite web |title=Dorothy Lovett |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f979089 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019124059/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f979089 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |website=bfi.org.uk |accessdate=19 October 2019}}</ref> was an American film actress.

== Early life == Lovett was born in Providence, Rhode Island.<ref name=":0">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19411215&id=EyBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aE0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4355,3756723 "Mingle Bells", ''St. Petersburg Times''], December 15, 1941</ref> She had two brothers.<ref name="bdn">{{cite news |last1=Harrison |first1=Paul |title=Tomboy Dorothy Lovett Is Now Lovely Leading Lady of Films |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/burlington-daily-news-dorothy-lovett/195032553/ |access-date=April 7, 2026 |work=Burlington Daily News |date=November 4, 1941 |page=7|via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> She graduated from Pembroke College in Brown University with a major in sociology and a minor in psychology.<ref name=bdtm/> She was a member of the school's Komians dramatic society<ref name="pph" /> and worked in summer theater during her college years.<ref name="bdn" />

== Career ==

=== Film === Lovett's film debut came in ''Twelve Crowded Hours'' (1939), when she spoke one word as a cigarette girl.<ref name="bdn" /> Her best-known recurring role is that of Judy Price in ''Meet Dr. Christian'' (1939), ''Remedy for Riches'' (1940), ''The Courageous Dr. Christian'' (1940), ''Dr. Christian Meets the Women'' (1940) and ''They Meet Again'' (1941). She spent almost the whole of her career with RKO studios, debuting in 1939. She was lent to Universal Studios to make ''The Green Hornet Strikes Again'' and retired from professional life in 1943 when her RKO contract expired.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/43471/Dorothy-Lovett/biography "Dorothy Lovett biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306214957/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/43471/Dorothy-Lovett/biography |date=2016-03-06 }}, ''New York Times''</ref> She also appeared in ''Sing Your Worries Away'' (1942).<ref name="bdn" />

Her last film appearance was a small role in 1965's ''A Patch of Blue''.

=== Radio === Lovett's early radio experience came on WPRO<ref name="pph">{{cite news |title=Dorothy Lovett Made Good In Radio Before Film Chance Came |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/portland-press-herald-dorothy-lovett/195033381/ |access-date=April 7, 2026 |work=Portland Press Herald |date=April 18, 1940 |page=10|via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> in Providence, where she performed on programs that included a cooking school, a dramatized serial, a shopping service, and a weekly fashion show.<ref name="bdtm" />

In radio series, Lovett supplied the voices for Toni Sherwood on ''Rocky Jordan'' (1945-1947),<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=HqhoAgAAQBAJ&dq=Dorothy+Lovett+Rocky+Jordan&pg=PA432 On the Air: The encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, John Dunning, 1998]</ref> Meta Bauer/Jan Carter on ''Guiding Light'' (1948-1949) and Grace Adam on ''The Seeking Heart'' (1953-1955).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=jNYHAQAAMAAJ&q=Dorothy+Lovett+Guiding+Light The Soap Opera Encyclopedia, Christopher Schemering, 1988]</ref> She also appeared on ''Dr. Christian'', ''Lux Radio Theatre'', ''Father Knows Best'' and many other radio programs.

=== Modeling === After Lovett went to New York in 1937 she became a model after her auditions brought little success. Her work for the Modeling Bureau included posing for automobile advertisements and food companies.<ref name="pph" />

===TV === In 1954, Lovett began portraying Grace Adam, a doctor's wife, in ''The Seeking Heart'', a CBS daytime drama.<ref name="bdtm">{{cite news |title=TV Portraits--Dorothy Lovett |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40241996/dorothy_lovett/ |accessdate=December 7, 2019 |work=The Bedford Daily-Times Mail |date=July 3, 1954 |location=Indiana, Bedford |page=12|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref>

== Personal life and death == Lovett married director Jack Hively in Dayton, Ohio,<ref>{{cite news |title=Squire Finds Two Couples Awaiting Vows |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news-dorothy-lovett/195034590/ |access-date=April 7, 2026 |work=Dayton Daily News |date=March 20, 1942 |page=21|via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> on December 25, 1941, while he was in the Air Force.<ref name=":0" /> Hively worked for RKO studios for a period.{{Citation needed |date=December 2019}} They met when he directed the film ''They Made Her a Spy'' in which she appeared.<ref>{{cite news |title=Film Actress Arrives For Wedding With Wright Field Aide |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dayton-herald-dorothy-lovett/195034270/ |access-date=April 7, 2026 |work=The Dayton Herald |date=March 17, 1942 |page=11|via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> She died in Sherman Oaks, California.{{cn|date=January 2026}}

== Filmography ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1939 | ''Meet Dr. Christian'' | Judy Price | Theatrical film |- | 1940 | ''Remedy for Riches'' | Judy Price | Theatrical film |- | 1940 | ''The Courageous Dr. Christian'' | Judy Price | Theatrical film |- | 1940 | ''Dr. Christian Meets the Women'' | Judy Price | Theatrical film |- | 1940 | ''The Green Hornet Strikes Again!'' | Frances Grayson/Stella Merja | Theatrical film |- | 1941 | ''Lucky Devils'' | Norma | Theatrical film |- | 1941 | ''They Meet Again'' | Judy Price | Theatrical film |- | 1941 | ''Look Who's Laughing'' | Marge | Theatrical film |- | 1942 | ''Call Out the Marines'' | Mary | Theatrical film |- | 1942 | ''Sing Your Worries Away'' | Carol Brewster | Theatrical film |- | 1942 | ''Powder Town'' | Sally Dean | Theatrical film |- | 1943 | ''The Mantrap'' | Jane Mason | Theatrical film |- | 1960 | ''Why Must I Die?'' | Mrs. Benson | Theatrical film |- | 1965 | ''A Patch of Blue'' | Woman (uncredited) | Theatrical film |}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{IMDb name|0522662}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovett, Dorothy}} Category:1915 births Category:1998 deaths Category:American film actresses Category:American radio actresses Category:RKO Pictures contract players Category:20th-century American actresses Category:Actresses from Providence, Rhode Island Category:Brown University alumni