Doris Day

'My Public Image is Unshakeably That of America’s Wholesome Virgin, Carefree and Brimming With Happiness. An Image More Make-believe Than Any Film Part I Ever Played'

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The Hollywood sweetheart with a turbulent love life offscreen gave up acting to become an animal rights activist. Following her recent death at 97, Michelle Davies looks back at her life

It was 1932 and Cincinnati dance studio Hessler’s announced it was giving away 25 free lessons to the child who could stand on their hands the longest.

For dance-obsessed ten-year-old Doris Day, it was the prize of a lifetime and she would do whatever it took to win. ‘For weeks, I was never on my feet. I went up and down stairs on my hands. I got up in the morning on my hands and went to bed that way,’ she revealed years later. ‘I won the prize easily.’

It was this tenacity that saw Day survive a near-death accident to become one of the most successful actresses and singers during Hollywood’s Golden Age, starring in 38 films and recording more than 650 songs. When she died in May this year at the age of 97, the many obituaries written about her served to remind us what an icon she truly was, and also how, after retiring from acting, she became a leading animal rights activist. ‘[She] inspired so much of what I do,’ wrote Stella McCartney, who knew Day through her own family’s work supporting animal rights. ‘An iconic woman who I was hugely honoured to meet and share precious moments with.’