{{Short description|American model and actress (1928–2017)}} {{about||the Australian rhythmic gymnast|Linda Douglas (gymnast)|the American political advisor|Linda Douglass}} {{Infobox person | name = Linda Douglas | image = Linda Douglas by Ernest Bacharach c. 1952.jpg | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = Douglas in 1952 | birth_name = Mary Joanne Tarola | birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|02|27}} | birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|05||1928|02|27}} | death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S. | nationality = | other_names = Mary Jo Greenberg | occupation = {{hlist|Actress|model}} | years_active = | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|[[Pat DiCicco]]|1952|1960|reason=divorced}} * {{marriage|[[Hank Greenberg]]|1966|1986|reason=his death}} }} | children = | known_for = | notable_works = }}
'''Linda Douglas''' (born '''Mary Joanne Tarola'''; February 27, 1928{{spaced ndash}}May 2017) was an American model and actress. A native of [[Portland, Oregon]], she began modeling and appearing in beauty contests as a teenager, and was named as a Princess to the [[Portland Rose Festival]] representing Grant High in 1947. She was discovered by a talent scout of [[Howard Hughes]] while sitting in a hotel lobby in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and eventually embarked on an acting career in 1952. Under the [[stage name]] Linda Douglas, she starred in two Westerns: ''[[Trail Guide]]'' and ''[[Target (1952 film)|Target]]'' (both 1952), followed by the drama ''[[Affair with a Stranger]]'' (1953), in which she was billed under her birth name.
Douglas garnered publicity when she married film producer and mobster [[Pat DiCicco]], former husband of [[Thelma Todd]] and [[Gloria Vanderbilt]], in 1952. The couple divorced in 1960 after eight years of marriage. Douglas subsequently married [[Major League Baseball]] player [[Hank Greenberg]] in 1966, after which she went by the name Mary Jo Greenberg. She remained married to him until his death in 1986. She died in Los Angeles in 2017.
==Biography== ===1928–1950: Early life=== Douglas was born Mary Joanne Tarola<ref name=diciccomarriage/><ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[MyHeritage]]|title=Mary Jo Tarola|url=https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10182-1846599/mary-jo-tarola-in-biographical-summaries-of-notable-people|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200520024712/https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10182-1846599/mary-jo-tarola-in-biographical-summaries-of-notable-people|archive-date=May 20, 2020|series=Biographical Summaries of Notable People|url-status=live}}</ref> in [[Portland, Oregon]] to Mildred (née Andeerson) and Joseph Tarola.<ref name=diciccomarriage/> Her mother was a native of [[Alaska]], born to [[Swedes|Swedish]] immigrants,<ref name=uscensus1930>{{cite United States census | url =https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRC4-7LQ?cc=1810731&wc=QZFQ-TTJ%3A648804701%2C649861101%2C649999601%2C1589285085 | title =Fifteenth Census of the United States | year = 1930 | location = Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon | roll = | page = 2B | line = 73–77 | enumdist = 5 | filmnum = | nafilm = T626 }} {{closed access}} {{url|https://archive.today/wUSLP/f2c2cee9121a8da737cf8f35656e0e578c441163.jpg|Archived copy}}.</ref> while her father was an immigrant from [[Italy]].<ref name=diciccomarriage>California, County Marriages, 1850-1952. [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G934-17FT?cc=1804002&wc=96P2-YWP%3A146962001 005686327 > image 1155 of 2715]; multiple county courthouses, California. {{closed access}} {{url|https://archive.today/wlb6d/fb3077c6bdf86cd3f0cff509def26db2c45e398f.jpg|Archived copy}} of certificate.</ref> She had two older brothers, Hoyt and Ralph,<ref name=uscensus1930/> and considered herself "a bit of a [[tomboy]]."{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=244}} Tall and blonde,{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=243}} Douglas was noticed at age 17 by a talent agent of [[Howard Hughes]] while sitting in a hotel lobby in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]].<ref name=movietime/>{{sfn|Kurlansky|2011|p=137}} She had been in Arizona at the time visiting her mother, who after divorcing Douglas' father relocated there for the drier climate in an effort to reduce symptoms of [[arthritis]].{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=243}}
Douglas initially accepted Hughes' invitation and flew with her mother to Los Angeles on one of Hughes' private airplanes to complete screen tests.{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=244}} Recalling the event, Douglas said: "Even then, Howard Hughes had a questionable reputation regarding women. This was after he had produced ''[[The Outlaw]]'' with [[Jane Russell]] and had a slew of famous girlfriends, including [[Jean Harlow]]. Anyway, my father got wind of this{{ndash}}my parents were divorced{{ndash}}and he got word to Howard Hughes that if he laid a hand on me, he'd shoot him."{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=244}} After completing screen tests, Douglas was offered a film contract by Hughes at [[RKO Pictures]], but declined. First, her father insisted, she must complete her education.{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=244}} She returned to Portland, where she finished her senior year at [[Grant High School (Portland, Oregon)|Grant High School]].{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=244}}<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Statesman Journal]]|date=October 13, 1951|page=2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51735036/statesman-journal/|title=Former Salem Boy, Victor Jory, Leads Film Names in Visit Here|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Douglas worked as beauty contestant and model in Portland, and was named queen of the [[Portland Rose Festival]] in 1947.<ref name=movietime>{{cite news|work=The Capital Journal|title=Hollywood Group Here For Movietime, Oregon|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51710652/the-capital-journal/|via=Newspapers.com|date=October 12, 1951|page=5}}</ref>
===1951–2016: Film career and marriages=== Returning to Los Angeles, she made her feature film debut in the Western ''[[Trail Guide]]'', followed by ''[[Target (1952 film)|Target]]'' (both 1952), under the [[stage name]] Linda Douglas.<ref name=afi/> On December 12, 1952,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51711243/lubbock-morning-avalanche/|work=[[Lubbock Morning Avalanche]]|author=Parsons, Louella|author-link=Louella Parsons|title=New Warner Brothers' Picture 'Round Trip' Slated To Star Humphrey Bogary|date=December 10, 1952|page=17|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Douglas married film producer [[Pat DiCicco]], former husband of [[Thelma Todd]] and [[Gloria Vanderbilt]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51711770/the-ogden-standard-examiner/|work=[[Standard-Examiner|The Ogden Standard-Examiner]]|title=DiCicco To Wed Starlet|date=December 6, 1952|page=5|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> in [[Beverly Hills, California]].<ref name=diciccomarriage/> After the wedding Douglas formally retired from acting. "I was never really interested in it," she recalled. "And I was never comfortable with it."{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=245}} Douglas and DiCicco eventually divorced in 1960, after which Douglas briefly dated singer [[Andy Williams]].<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Orlando Sentinel|Orlando Evening Star]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51712893/orlando-evening-star/|title=Grandmas Will Be Grandmas Even On The Main Line|last=Knickerbocker|first=Cholly|date=September 6, 1961|page=19|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
In the early 1960s, Douglas began dating [[Major League Baseball]] player [[Hank Greenberg]].{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|pages=245–246}} She had first met Greenberg briefly in 1955 while visiting New York City to attend the [[1955 World Series|World Series]] with her then-husband, DeCicco: "We were the guests of [[Dan Topping]], the then the co-owner of the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]]... As we were getting into our limousines in front of the [[Park Lane Hotel (Manhattan)|Park Lane Hotel]], Pat took me aside to introduce me to Hank Greenberg."{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=245}} Douglas recalled that, after the meeting, she observed DeCicco, Topping, and others in their limousine making [[antisemitism|anti-semitic]] remarks: "It was my first experience with antisemitism. It left an impression."{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|p=245}} Douglas and Greenberg's romance received significant publicity,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51713049/daily-news/|work=[[New York Daily News]]|title=Little Old New York|last=Sullivan|first=Ed|date=January 24, 1966|page=246|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and the two were married in a small ceremony in [[Virginia]] in late November 1966,<ref>{{cite news|work=New York Daily News|last=McHarry|first=Charles|title=On the Town|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51713260/daily-news/|date=December 10, 1966|page=15|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> after which Douglas went by the name Mary Jo Greenberg.
===1966–2016: Later life=== After marrying Greenberg, Douglas traveled between her home in Los Angeles and his in New York City, though the couple eventually settled in Los Angeles,{{sfn|Greenberg|2009|pages=245–247}} They lived in the Fields House, a [[Regency architecture|Regency]]-style home in Beverly Hills designed by architect [[Craig Ellwood]].<ref name=lat/> Douglas was widowed in 1986 after Greenberg's death, and spent the remainder of her life living in the home she had shared with Greenberg.<ref name=lat/> In July 1999, she established the Mary Jo and Hank Greenberg Animal Welfare Foundation, a [[Nonprofit organization|nonprofit]] [[animal welfare]] organization for homeless and neglected animals.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[ProPublica]]|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/954738423|title=Mary Jo and Hank Greenberg Animal Welfare Foundation|date=9 May 2013 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200520140314/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/954738423|archive-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref>
==Death== Douglas died in May 2017<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.bhhscalifornia.com/baseball-legend-hank-greenbergs-beverly-hills-home-listed-for-9-5-million/|publisher=[[HomeServices of America|Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California]]|title=Baseball Legend Hank Greenberg's Beverly Hills Home Listed for $9.5 Million|date=June 28, 2017|author1=Banchik, Daniel|author2=Dantzler, Amy|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200520135815/http://blog.bhhscalifornia.com/baseball-legend-hank-greenbergs-beverly-hills-home-listed-for-9-5-million/|archive-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref> in Los Angeles.<ref name=lat>{{cite web|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-hank-greenberg-beverly-hills-house-20170628-story.html|title=Case Study house in Beverly Hills was once home to baseball's Hank Greenberg|date=June 28, 2017|last=Leitereg|first=Neal L.|url-status=live|archive-date=May 20, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200520023520/https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-hank-greenberg-beverly-hills-house-20170628-story.html}}</ref>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |- ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}} |- ! scope="row" | 1952 | ''[[Trail Guide]]'' | Peg Masters | | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi>{{cite web|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|location=Los Angeles, California|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|title=Linda Douglas|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Person/99355-Linda-Douglas|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200520030834/https://catalog.afi.com/Person/99355-Linda-Douglas|archive-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | 1952 | ''[[Target (1952 film)|Target]]'' | Terry Moran | | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi/> |- ! scope="row" | 1953 | ''[[Affair with a Stranger]]'' | Dolly Murray | As Mary Jo Tarola | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name=afi/> |- ! scope="row"| 2001 | ''[[ESPN SportsCentury|SportsCentury: Hank Greenberg]]'' | Herself | [[ESPN]] documentary | style="text-align:center;"| |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Sources== *{{cite book|last=Greenberg|first=Hank|author-link=Hank Greenberg|year=2009|title=Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life|publisher=Ira R. Dee|location=Chicago|orig-year=1989|isbn=978-1-461-66238-9}} *{{cite book|title=Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn't Want to Be One|last=Kurlansky|first=Mark|publisher=Yale University Press|location=New Haven, Connecticut|year=2011|isbn=978-0-300-17514-1}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *{{IMDb name|0235158}} *{{Find a Grave|241079350}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Linda}} [[Category:1928 births]] [[Category:2017 deaths]] [[Category:Actresses from Portland, Oregon]] [[Category:American people of Italian descent]] [[Category:American people of Swedish descent]] [[Category:20th-century American beauty pageant contestants]] [[Category:American animal welfare workers]] [[Category:Female models from Oregon]] [[Category:Grant High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni]] [[Category:21st-century American women]]