Misplaced Pages

Diana Douglas
Douglas in 2003
Born	Diana Love Dill (1923-01-22)January 22, 1923 Devonshire, Bermuda
Died	July 3, 2015(2015-07-03) (aged 92) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Nationality	United Kingdom United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1942–2008
Spouses	Kirk Douglas ​ ​(m. 1943; div. 1951)​ Bill Darrid ​ ​(m. 1956; died 1992)​ Donald Webster ​(m. 2002)​
Children	Michael Douglas Joel Douglas
Father	Thomas Melville Dill

Diana Love Webster (née Dill; formerly Douglas and Darrid; January 22, 1923 – July 3, 2015), known professionally as Diana Douglas, was a Bermudian-American actress who was married to actor Kirk Douglas from 1943 until their divorce in 1951. She was the mother of Michael and Joel Douglas.

Douglas began her career as an actress in 1942, and ultimately appeared in more than 50 films. Two of her best-known roles were Susan Rogers in The Indian Fighter (co-starring Kirk Douglas) and Peg in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. She was also known for her recurring role as Martha Evans in Days of Our Lives (1977–1979, 1982). In 2003, she appeared in It Runs in the Family with her ex-husband Kirk, her son Michael and her grandson Cameron. She retired from acting in 2008.

Early life

Douglas was born on January 22, 1923, in Devonshire, Bermuda. Her father, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Melville Dill (also the name of her great-grandfather, a mariner), was a former Member of the Colonial Parliament (MCP) (representing the Parish of Devonshire in the Parliament of Bermuda), Attorney General of Bermuda, and former Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Militia Artillery. Her mother Ruth Rapalje (née Neilson) had roots in New Jersey, including being a descendant of American Revolutionary War hero Col. John Neilson. Douglas' brother Bayard was a prominent lawyer and politician. Her sister Ruth was married to John Seward Johnson I, heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. Douglas' father was from a prominent Bermudian family, present on the island since the early 17th century.

Her ancestry included English, Irish, Welsh, Dutch, Scottish, Belgian, and French. Douglas was brought up in the Church of England.

Career

In 1942, she began her career in a minor, uncredited role in Keeper of the Flame. She went on to appear in many films during the 1950s and 1960s, one of her most notable roles arguably being Susan Rogers in The Indian Fighter. During the 1960s and 1970s, she appeared in a variety of television programs (such as the General Electric Theater and Naked City), her best known television role being Lily Chernak Donnelly on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.

She played Poco on Three Steps to Heaven and Martha Evans in Days of Our Lives. Following the cancellation of Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, she played Annie Andersen in The Cowboys. She appeared in Roots: The Next Generations and The Waltons. In It Runs in the Family, Douglas appeared with her former husband, Kirk Douglas, son Michael and grandson Cameron, and later appeared on an episode of CBS's Cold Case and in the Season 15 ER episode "Heal Thyself" (2008), the year that she retired from acting.

In 1999, her autobiography, In the Wings: A Memoir, was published.

Personal life

Dill was married to Kirk Douglas. They met as acting students before the Second World War. During the war, Douglas was serving in the U.S. Navy when he saw the May 3, 1943, issue of Life magazine, with a photograph of Dill on the cover. He showed the cover to his shipmates and told them that he would marry her. They married on November 2, 1943, and had two sons, Michael and Joel, before divorcing in 1951.

She married actor Bill Darrid, and they lived with her sons on the East Coast of the US until his death in 1992. In 2002, she married Donald Webster in the old Devonshire Parish Church in Bermuda.

Death

On July 3, 2015, Douglas, a breast cancer survivor, died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, of an undisclosed form of cancer at the age of 92.

Filmography

Film

Television

Books

• Dougan, Andy (2001). Michael Douglas: Out of the Shadows : the Unauthorised Biography. London: Robson. ISBN 978-1-86105-347-3. OCLC 48026343.
• Douglas, Diana (1999). In the Wings: A Memoir. New York: Barricade Books. ISBN 978-1-56980-151-2. OCLC 41086793.
• Parker, John (2011). Michael Douglas: Acting on Instinct. Headline. ISBN 978-0-7553-6286-8.

References

1. Zumberge, Marianne (4 July 2015). "Diana Douglas Webster, mother of Michael Douglas, ex-wife of Kirk Douglas, dies at 92". Boston Herald. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
2. "Actress Diana Dill from Bermuda". Bernews. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
3. Douglas 1999, p. 17.
4. Galloway, Stephen (29 November 2010). "Michael Douglas: One Hell of a Year". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
5. ^ Barnes, Mike (4 July 2015). "Actress Diana Douglas, Mother of Michael and Ex-Wife of Kirk, Dies at 92". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
6. "In the Wings: A Memoir". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
7. "Picks and Pans Review: In the Wings". People. 6 September 1999. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
8. ^ "Film Was Family Affair For Diana Douglas". Bernews. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
9. "Front Cover". Life. 3 May 1943. p. 1. ISSN 0024-3019.
10. "Bermudian actress Diana Douglas back in Life". The Royal Gazette. 13 May 1993. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
11. "Diana Douglas Given Final Divorce Decree". Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. 24 February 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 31 October 2015 – via Google News Archive.
12. "Michael Douglas' Mum Weds at 79". Hello. 30 December 2002. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
13. Breen, Stephen (30 December 2002). "Rain fails to dampen Dill Douglas Darrid wedding celebration". The Royal Gazette. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
14. Breen, Stephen (27 December 2002). "Diana's wedding gift to Bermuda". The Royal Gazette. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
15. Zumberge, Marianne (4 July 2015). "Diana Douglas Webster, Mother of Michael Douglas, Ex-Wife of Kirk Douglas, Dies at 92". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.

External links

• Diana Douglas at IMDb
• Diana Douglas at the TCM Movie Database
• Diana Douglas at TV Guide

• North America
• Biography
• Television
• United States

Diana Douglas burial site:

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/148654569/diana-love-webster#:~:text=Cremated%2C%20Ashes%20scattered.,ashes%20be%20spread%20over%20Bermuda.&text=Actress%20Diana%20Douglas%20Webster%2C%20mother,2015%20in%20Woodland%20Hills%2C%20Calif.

• 1923 births
• 2015 deaths
• American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
• Bermudian actresses
• Bermudian Anglicans
• Bermudian emigrants to the United States
• Douglas family
• People from Devonshire Parish
• Naturalized citizens of the United States
• Dill family