Hollywood icon Doris Day has passed away at the age of 97, her representatives have confirmed. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1922, Day went on to become a star of the Classical Hollywood era, beginning with her role in 1948’s Romance On The High Seas. From there, she went on to star in the likes of Tea For Two, Storm Warning, and more through the early part of her career.
In 1953, Day took on one of her most iconic characters, playing the titular role in Western musical Calamity Jane. The song ‘Secret Love’, which Day performs in the film, won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
After being established as a leading lady, Day went on to co-star alongside Frank Sinatra in Young At Heart and opposite James Cagney in Love Me Or Leave Me in 1955. She worked for Alfred Hitchcock in 1956 thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much, playing the lead opposite James Stewart. In that film, she sang ‘Que Será, Será’, which became one of her signature songs – and which was used as the theme for her TV series The Doris Day Show, which ran from 1968 to 1973.
Day was nominated for Leading Actress at the Oscars for 1959 romantic comedy Pillow Talk, starring alongside Rock Hudson. The pair would team up again in 1961’s Lover Come Back and 1964’s Send Me No Flowers. Her final film roles came in 1968, when she starred in Where Were You When The Lights Went Out? and With Six You Get Eggroll. In 1989, she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment at the Golden Globes.
Beyond her life on the big screen, Day released 29 studio albums of music between 1949 and 2011. She was also a passionate animal welfare activist, and founded the Doris Day Animal Foundation in 1978.
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