Background
Doran, Ann Lee was born on July 28, 1911 in Amarillo, Texas, United States. Daughter of John Richmond and Carrie Alma (Barnett) Doran.
Doran, Ann Lee was born on July 28, 1911 in Amarillo, Texas, United States. Daughter of John Richmond and Carrie Alma (Barnett) Doran.
Born in Amarillo, Texas, Doran began acting at the age of four. Rarely in a featured role (with the exception of James Dean"s dominating mother in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)), Doran appeared in more than five hundred motion pictures and one thousand episodes of television shows, such as the American Civil War drama Gray Ghost. Doran worked as a stand-in, then bit player, then incidental supporting player.
Thus, Doran appears in Columbia"s serials (such as The Spider"s Web and Flying G-Men), short subjects (including those of The Three Stooges, Charley Chase, Andy Clyde, Harry Langdon, and Vera Vague), B features (including the Blondie, Five Little Peppers, and Ellery Queen series), and major feature films.
She became a favorite of Columbia director Frank Capra and appears in many of his productions. Most of these appearances were supporting roles, although she did play leads in Columbia"s Charley Chase comedies of 1938-1940 and in one Charles Starrett western feature, Rio Grande (1938).
Columbia filmed two boy-and-his-dog stories with juvenile star Ted Donaldson in 1945-1946. When the Donaldson films became a full-fledged series (featuring the dog "Rusty") in 1947, Doran was cast as Donaldson"s mother in the next six films.
Her steady, sensible maternal roles led to her being cast as James Dean"s mother in Rebel Without a Cause.
Doran continued to work in movies and television until shortly before her death of natural causes at the age of 89 on September 19, 2000, in Carmichael, California. Following her death her remains were cremated. She bequeathed $400,000 to the Motion Picture Country House, the retirement home for the movie industry.
Member Screen Actors Guild (board directors 1950-1975, trustee pension and health plans since 1960), Motion Picture and television Fund (trustee), Actors Fund (board directors since 1980).