Doris Dudley

Dudley was born in New York. She was the daughter of playwright and drama critic Bide Dudley. Her brother, Bronson, was a dancer. ==Career==

Dudley's professional acting debut resulted from her visiting producer Eddie Dowling in his office and reading some lines for him. She left his office as the leading lady in Agatha Calling, which made a pre-Broadway tour but never reached Broadway. Dudley's Broadway credits included The Season Changes (1936), In 1939, Dudley portrayed Cordelia in the New York opening of My Dear Children, starring John Barrymore. Two weeks after the New York opening, Elaine replaced Dudley as Cordelia. "Mrs. Barrymore wanted my role," Dudley said later about being fired for the first time. Later that month, Dudley had the female lead in Margin for Error at the Plymouth Theatre in Boston. On radio, Dudley portrayed the title character's daughter, Peggy, in Meet Mr. Meek. After she left acting, Dudley became a real-estate developer. ==Personal life==

Dudley married engineer Theodore Kurrus in Brewster, New York, on June 6, 1932, when she was 14 years old. An annulment became final on May 4, 1936. She was treated at York Hospital for "a superficial flesh wound". They had two sons, one of whom was child actor Butch Jenkins. ==Death==

On August 14, 1985, Dudley died of bone cancer in Greenville, Texas, aged 68. No service was held, and her ashes were buried at Mount Kisco, New York. == References ==