Doris Davenport, also known as Doris Jordan[2] (January 1, 1917 – June 18, 1980) was an American actress in movies of the 1930s and early 1940s.

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (February 2010)

Doris Davenport
Davenport in a Japanese advertisement from the 1940 film The Westerner
Born	(1917-01-17)January 17, 1917 Moline, Illinois, U.S.
Died	June 18, 1980(1980-06-18) (aged 63) Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
Other names	Doris Jordan (model)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1934–1940
Notable work	The Westerner
Spouse(s)	Garland Weaver ​ ​ (m. 1938; div. 1941)​ [1]

Early years

Davenport was born in Moline, Illinois, and lived in Davenport, Iowa, before she and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California.[3] She wanted to be an actress when she was five years old, and her parents supported that desire by providing voice training and classes in drama.[4]

Career

Davenport's first film was Kid Millions (1934). After that, however, she said, "It looked as if my career had begun and ended all at once."[4]

From 1934 to 1939, she appeared in five films and worked in New York City as a fashion model between films. However, when she auditioned under the screen name Doris Jordan for the role of Scarlett O'Hara for Gone with the Wind, she did well enough to become one of the finalists for the role.

Despite not winning that major role, Davenport impressed studio head Samuel Goldwyn. In 1940, he gave a lead role to Davenport in the film The Westerner, starring opposite Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan. The same year, she starred in the movie Behind the News opposite Lloyd Nolan. It was her last role. With no other offers following that film, she retired from acting.

Personal life and death

When she worked as a model, Davenport met photographer V. G. Weaver, Jr., and they soon married.[4]

She settled in Santa Cruz, California, where she lived until her death on June 18, 1980, age 63.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Doris Davenport.

• Doris Davenport at IMDb
• Doris Davenport at Find a Grave