Doro Merande

Plain angular Doro Merande was one of those delightful character actresses you couldnt 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 smallminded townspeople all topped with an amusing warble in her voice and bristly eccentric edge Too bad then that she wasnt 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 scenestealing 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