Doris Rankin
Encyclopedia
Doris Rankin was an American film actress and the younger daughter of actor McKee Rankin and an unnamed actress though Rankin was married to actress Kitty Blanchard. She was married to actor Lionel Barrymore
from 1904-1923. Her older sister, Gladys Rankin, was married to Lionel's uncle Sidney Drew
. Another sister Phyllis Rankin
was married to Harry Davenport of the Davenport theatrical family.
Rankin began her career with several roles with her father's company, her best remembered part being as an Italian white slave in The White Slaver".
Prior to this she performed in a number of sketches with her father and Barrymore. When Barrymore retired from theatrical work in 1906, Rankin did so as well. The couple lived for an extended period in Paris, France returning to the United States
about 1910. Barrymore studied music and painting while he was there. Doris bore Lionel two daughters, Ethel and Mary. Both girls died in infancy though Mary lived a number of months. Lionel was deeply affected by the loss of his two daughters and never truly got over it. Most likely the girls' deaths played a part in the eventual end of Lionel and Doris's marriage.
In 1925 Rankin played in the vaudeville
production of Harry Wagstaff Gribble's How Do You Know?.
Rankin's film debut came as Mrs. Shanks in The Copperhead (1920) with her husband in the title role. The Copperhead had been a great success for Lionel and Doris as a play on the Broadway stage. She followed this role with performances in The Devil's Garden (1920), The Great Adventure (1921), Jim The Penman (1921), and Lena Rivers (1925). She continued in motion pictures into the era of sound films. Her last credited role came in Society Smugglers (1939).
Rankin was given a divorce from Barrymore in December 1922. Barrymore married Irene Fenwick
in Rome, Italy the following June.
After divorcing Lionel, Doris, still in her thirties, met and married British author Malcolm Mortimer and bore him two children. The couple lived in Santa Monica which allowed Doris to be near the film studios.
In November 1931 Rankin was operated on for a thyroid
ailment at the Park East Hospital in New York City
. The operation was of a non-malignant type.
Doris Rankin died in Washington, DC in 1946.
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul...
from 1904-1923. Her older sister, Gladys Rankin, was married to Lionel's uncle Sidney Drew
Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew
-Biography:Sidney Drew , or Mr. Sidney Drew as he was usually billed, was an uncle of actors Lionel, Ethel & John Barrymore. His origins have been the subject of much speculation. Sidney's mother Mrs. Louisa Drew said she adopted him not long after the death of her husband John Drew, Sr. in 1862....
. Another sister Phyllis Rankin
Phyllis Rankin
Phyllis Rankin was a Broadway actress and singer from the 1880s until the 1920s. Her full name was Phyllis McKee Rankin.-Family:...
was married to Harry Davenport of the Davenport theatrical family.
Rankin began her career with several roles with her father's company, her best remembered part being as an Italian white slave in The White Slaver".
Prior to this she performed in a number of sketches with her father and Barrymore. When Barrymore retired from theatrical work in 1906, Rankin did so as well. The couple lived for an extended period in Paris, France returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
about 1910. Barrymore studied music and painting while he was there. Doris bore Lionel two daughters, Ethel and Mary. Both girls died in infancy though Mary lived a number of months. Lionel was deeply affected by the loss of his two daughters and never truly got over it. Most likely the girls' deaths played a part in the eventual end of Lionel and Doris's marriage.
In 1925 Rankin played in the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
production of Harry Wagstaff Gribble's How Do You Know?.
Rankin's film debut came as Mrs. Shanks in The Copperhead (1920) with her husband in the title role. The Copperhead had been a great success for Lionel and Doris as a play on the Broadway stage. She followed this role with performances in The Devil's Garden (1920), The Great Adventure (1921), Jim The Penman (1921), and Lena Rivers (1925). She continued in motion pictures into the era of sound films. Her last credited role came in Society Smugglers (1939).
Rankin was given a divorce from Barrymore in December 1922. Barrymore married Irene Fenwick
Irene Fenwick
Irene Fenwick was a stage and silent film actress. She was married to Lionel Barrymore from 1924 until her death in 1936. She died of anorexia at age 49.-External links:*...
in Rome, Italy the following June.
After divorcing Lionel, Doris, still in her thirties, met and married British author Malcolm Mortimer and bore him two children. The couple lived in Santa Monica which allowed Doris to be near the film studios.
In November 1931 Rankin was operated on for a thyroid
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
ailment at the Park East Hospital in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The operation was of a non-malignant type.
Doris Rankin died in Washington, DC in 1946.
External links
- Doris Rankin aboard the RMS MauretaniaRMS Mauretania (1906)RMS Mauretania was an ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear for the British Cunard Line, and launched on 20 September 1906. At the time, she was the largest and fastest ship in the world. Mauretania became a favourite among...
in 1922 - Doris Rankin 1921(Univ. of Washington Sayre Collection)
- Doris Rankin in 1924(Univ. of Washington Sayre Collection)