# Dorothy Morris > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dorothy_Morris > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dorothy_Morris.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Morris > Source revision: 1343519961 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American actress (1922–2011) Dorothy Morris Morris in 1946 Born Dorothy Ruth Morris (1922-02-23)February 23, 1922 Los Angeles, California, U.S. Died November 20, 2011(2011-11-20) (aged 89) Palm Springs, California, U.S. Occupation Actress Years active 1940–1972 Spouses Marvin Moffie ​ ​ (m. 1943; div. 1966)​ Roger E. Miller ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1972)​ Children 2 Relatives Caren Marsh Doll (sister) Bill Doll (brother-in-law) **Dorothy Ruth Morris** (February 23, 1922 – November 20, 2011) was an American film and television actress known for her "[girl next door](/source/Girl_next_door)" persona. ## Early life Dorothy Ruth Morris was born and raised in [Hollywood](/source/Hollywood%2C_Los_Angeles).[1] She attended [Hollywood High School](/source/Hollywood_High_School) and acted in productions at the [Pasadena Playhouse](/source/Pasadena_Playhouse).[1][2] She was a student in [Maria Ouspenskaya](/source/Maria_Ouspenskaya)'s School of Drama.[2] She was the younger sister of [Caren Marsh Doll](/source/Caren_Marsh_Doll),[3] who later became a dancer and [stand-in](/source/Stand-in) for [Judy Garland](/source/Judy_Garland). She did a screen test for the female lead in *[The Courtship of Andy Hardy](/source/The_Courtship_of_Andy_Hardy)* (1942), but lost to [Donna Reed](/source/Donna_Reed).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ## Career Appearing in bit parts in several of the studio's more successful films, Morris was signed to a [Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer](/source/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) contract in 1941. For one of her early film roles, *[Cry 'Havoc'](/source/Cry_'Havoc'_(film))* (1943), she affected a British accent. Her next picture was the well-received drama *[The Human Comedy](/source/The_Human_Comedy_(film))*, which featured a star cast, headed by [Mickey Rooney](/source/Mickey_Rooney), [Frank Morgan](/source/Frank_Morgan), [James Craig](/source/James_Craig_(actor)) and [Marsha Hunt](/source/Marsha_Hunt_(actress%2C_born_1917)). Morris' role was Mary Arena; the girlfriend of [Van Johnson](/source/Van_Johnson)'s character. The highlight of her career, however, came in 1945 when she starred as the doomed Ingeborg Jensen in *[Our Vines Have Tender Grapes](/source/Our_Vines_Have_Tender_Grapes)*. Other screen roles included *[Someone to Remember](/source/Someone_to_Remember)* (1943), *[Pilot No. 5](/source/Pilot_No._5)* (1943), *[Rationing](/source/Rationing_(1944_film))* (1944) and *[None Shall Escape](/source/None_Shall_Escape)* (1944). Morris is often remembered for her featured appearances in MGM short subjects. She appeared in several of the studio's short films including the *[Pete Smith Specialties](/source/Pete_Smith_(film_producer))*, *[The Passing Parade](/source/The_Passing_Parade#Parade_on_film)*, and *Crime Does Not Pay* series. The *Crime* short turned out so well that MGM expanded it into a full-length feature, *[Main Street After Dark](/source/Main_Street_After_Dark)* in 1945, for which the actress was billed as Dorothy Ruth Morris. (Morris reminisces about her short-subjects experience in the [Turner Classic Movies](/source/Turner_Classic_Movies) documentary *Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story*, first broadcast in 2002.) ## Later career After she married in 1943, she took a hiatus from movie making. In the late 1950s, she made guest appearances on television series such as *[The Untouchables](/source/The_Untouchables_(1959_TV_series))*, *[The Donna Reed Show](/source/The_Donna_Reed_Show)*, *[Rawhide](/source/Rawhide_(TV_series))*, *[Casey Jones](/source/Casey_Jones_(TV_series))*, and *[Wagon Train](/source/Wagon_Train)*. She made two film appearances during the 1950s in *[Macabre](/source/Macabre_(1958_film))* and *The Power of the Resurrection* (both 1958). Her last film role was in *[Seconds](/source/Seconds_(1966_film))* (1966) starring [Rock Hudson](/source/Rock_Hudson). Her last television appearance was in a 1971 episode of *[Marcus Welby, M.D.](/source/Marcus_Welby%2C_M.D.)*. ## Personal life and death Morris was married to Marvin Moofie, a math teacher at [Los Angeles Unified School District](/source/Los_Angeles_Unified_School_District).[4] They had two sons, Richard (born 1947) and Robert (born 1951).[4] Morris resided in [Palm Springs, California](/source/Palm_Springs%2C_California) until her death on November 20, 2011, at the age of 89.[5] Upon her death, her body was donated to [medical science](/source/Medical_science) at the University of California Riverside.[5] ## Filmography - *[Her First Beau](/source/Her_First_Beau)* – Shirley (uncredited) (1941) - *[Whistling in the Dark](/source/Whistling_in_the_Dark_(1941_film))* – Telephone Operator (uncredited) (1941) - *[Down in San Diego](/source/Down_in_San_Diego)*[6] – Mildred Burnette (1941)[7] - *[Babes on Broadway](/source/Babes_on_Broadway)* – Chorus Girl (uncredited) (1941)[2] - *[Rio Rita](/source/Rio_Rita_(1942_film))* – Gas Station Attendant (uncredited) (1942) - *[This Time for Keeps](/source/This_Time_for_Keeps)*[8] – Edith Bryant (1942) - *[Keeper of the Flame](/source/Keeper_of_the_Flame_(film))* – Forward American Girl (uncredited) (1942) - *[Seven Sweethearts](/source/Seven_Sweethearts)* – Peter van Maaster (1942) - *[The Youngest Profession](/source/The_Youngest_Profession)* – Secretary (1943) - *[The Human Comedy](/source/The_Human_Comedy_(film))*[1] – Mary Arena (1943) - *[Someone to Remember](/source/Someone_to_Remember)* (1943) - *[Cry 'Havoc'](/source/Cry_'Havoc'_(film))* – Sue (1943) - *[None Shall Escape](/source/None_Shall_Escape)* (1944) - *[Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo](/source/Thirty_Seconds_Over_Tokyo)* – Jane (credited as Dorothy Ruth Morris) (1944) - *[Our Vines Have Tender Grapes](/source/Our_Vines_Have_Tender_Grapes)* – Ingeborg Jensen (1945) - *[Main Street After Dark](/source/Main_Street_After_Dark)* – Rosalie Dibson (1945) - *[Club Havana](/source/Club_Havana)* – Lucy (1945) - *[Little Miss Big](/source/Little_Miss_Big)* – Kathy Bryan (1946) - *[The Power of the Resurrection](/source/The_Power_of_the_Resurrection)* – [Mary](/source/Mary_of_Bethany), sister of Lazarus (1958) - *[Macabre](/source/Macabre_(1958_film))* – Alice Barrett (1958) - *[Seconds](/source/Seconds_(1966_film))* -- Mrs. Filter (1966) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) ["Home Town Girl Wins Film Fame"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14690212/the_salt_lake_tribune/). *The Salt Lake Tribune*. April 9, 1944. p. 42. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ot_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ot_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ot_2-2) ["Straight from High School to Film Stardom"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7534108/oakland_tribune). *Oakland Tribune*. California, Oakland. December 6, 1942. p. 80. Retrieved November 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Lentz, Harris M. III (2012). [*Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011*](https://books.google.com/books?id=5X_GCwAAQBAJ&q=%22Dorothy+Morris%22+actress&pg=PA243). McFarland. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7864-6994-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7864-6994-9). Retrieved November 15, 2017. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) ["Television actress teaches Sunday class"](https://tessa2.lapl.org/digital/collection/photos/id/47015/). *TESSA – Digital Collection of the Los Angeles Public Library*. 1961. Retrieved November 3, 2024. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-auto_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-auto_5-1) Wilson, Scott (September 16, 2016). [*Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed*](https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&q=Dorothy+Morris+burial+Scott+Wilson&pg=PA532). McFarland. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4766-2599-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4766-2599-7) – via Google Books. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["'Down in San Diego' Smartly Acted Melodrama"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14689684/the_daily_herald/). *The Daily Herald*. 1942. p. 11. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Tinee, Mae (November 16, 1941). ["Kid Actors in This Picture Put It Across"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14690120/chicago_tribune/). *Chicago Tribune*. p. 115. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Lexington Theatre"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14690470/the_pantagraph/). *The Pantagraph*. August 1, 1942. p. 2. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. ## External links - [Dorothy Morris](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0606502/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States People Deutsche Biographie Deutsche Synchronkartei DDB Other Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dorothy Morris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Morris) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Morris?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.