Rachel Rice Dooley

Rachel Rice Dooley
Born Rachel Rice Dooley
circa (1888-10-30)October 30, 1888
Glasgow, Scotland
Died January 28, 1984(1984-01-28) (aged 95)
East Hampton, New York
Known for Vaudeville
Spouse(s) Eddie Dowling
Children 2

Rachel Rice Dooley (October 30, c. 1888 – January 28, 1984) was a vaudeville performer under the name Ray Dooley.[1]

Biography

Dooley is believed to have been born on October 30, 1888 in Glasgow, Scotland to Robert Rogers Dooley, an Irish-born circus clown.[1][2] Her brothers were Gordon and Johnny Dooley.

She made her performing debut in a minstrel show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She played "babies and brats" in the Ziegfeld Follies after World War I with W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, and Fannie Brice, among others. From there she moved to musical stage performances.[1]

She eloped with Eddie Dowling when she was 15. They had a son, Jack Dowling,[3] and a daughter, Mary Maxine Dowling (later Mrs. Clark). From 1919-34, Dooley teamed with Dowling for Ziegfeld Follies and in Thumbs Up in 1934, after which she retired. She came out of retirement in 1948 to appear in Hope's the Thing and Home Life of a Buffalo.[1]

She died on January 28, 1984 at her home in East Hampton, New York.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ray Dooley, Comedienne who Began Career In Family's Act, is Dead". New York Times. January 29, 1984. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  2. ↑ The 1920 US census gives her approximate year of birth as 1894, but the Social Security Death Index cites "Rachel Dowling; born 30 October 1888; died January 1984 at 11937 East Hampton, Suffolk, New York, USA". VIAF and IBDB and IMDB use "October 30, 1896". Findagrave uses: "30 October 1888". Her birth and baptism records should be available from Scotland but the Social Security Death Index will be considered the most accurate until then.
  3. ↑ "Candid Close-Ups". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 25, 1938. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
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