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Doris Grau (October 12, 1924–December 30, 1995) was an American actress, script supervisor and voice artist from Brooklyn. She worked on many films and television shows, including The Simpsons, where she provided the voice of Lunchlady Doris and other characters.

Early life and career

Grau was born on October 12, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. She moved to the Hollywood district in Los Angeles, California as a teenager in 1940. There she was soon hired by the production company Columbia Pictures as a script supervisor. Grau supervised the script of the 1967 crime film Point Blank, which revolves around a man named Walker (played by Lee Marvin) who sets out to find his friend who betrayed him during a robbery that they performed together and left with all the money for himself. Grau was also the script supervisor of the 1976 film King Kong, that tells the story of how a giant ape is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition. She then supervised the scripts of the films The Champ (1979), The Frisco Kid (1979), The Hunter (1980), The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981), Caveman (1981), Clue (1985), Marie (1985), and No Way Out (1987).

Later work

Between 1986 and 1987, Grau played the character Corinne in a few episodes of the sitcom Cheers, a show on which she had previously worked as script supervisor during seasons one and four. Grau worked as a script supervisor on Fox Broadcasting Company's The Tracey Ullman Show (1987–1990), a variety show that featured among many things the first appearance of the fictional animated Simpson family. This family was later given their own animated series on Fox, called The Simpsons, in 1989. Grau worked on that show as a script supervisor as well. Grau also voiced some characters in The Simpsons. She is best known for lending her voice to Lunchlady Doris, who speaks with a "gruff voice" according to The Journal Gazette editor Dean Robinson. This character appeared on the show with Grau's voice between 1991 and 1997. Grau also worked on the animated series The Critic that was created by writers of The Simpsons in 1994. She voiced the chain-smoking character Doris Grossman, who is the make-up artist for the main character of the show.

In 1992, Grau appeared in the minor role of Hattie Rifkin in the film The Distinguished Gentleman. It revolves around a con man named Jeff Johnson (played by Eddie Murphy) who tricks people into electing him for the United States Congress when a congressman that shares his name dies without anyone noticing. He initially plans to earn money by scamming people for donations and campaign contributions. However, he changes his mind when he discovers the true corrupt nature of Congress and eventually decides to do the right thing by revealing the corruption. According to Philip Wuntch, film critic for The Dallas Morning News, Grau "has only a few lines as a senior citizen with old-time political savvy, but she makes every vocal inflection count." The Patriot-News's Sharon Johnson called her "a delight as the feisty senior citizens' lobbyist who first recognizes Johnson as a winner."

One of Grau's last film appearances was a minor role in the 1995 film Babe, which is about a pig who wants to be a sheepdog. She also appeared as the character Rose in the 1995 film Coldblooded that tells the story of a member of the Mob who is promoted to hitman against his will.

Death

On December 30, 1995, aged 71, Grau died from respiratory failure at a hospital in Hollywood. "Team Homer", an episode of the seventh season of The Simpsons that aired on January 7, 1996, was dedicated to her memory.

References

1. ^ Lentz, Harris M. (1996). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1995. McFarland & Co. p. 74. ISBN 9780786402533.
2. ^ "Voice of 'Simpson' character dies". Daily Breeze. 1996-01-08. p. B2.
3. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1961-1970. University of California Press. 1971. pp. 855–856. ISBN 9780520209701.
4. Morton, Ray (2005). King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 145. ISBN 9781557836694.
5. "Doris Grau - Filmography". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
6. Bjorklund, Dennis A. (1997). Toasting Cheers. Praetorian Publishing. pp. 262, 304. ISBN 9780899509624.
7. ^ Cuprisin, Tim (1996-01-09). "'Gold rush' victory - Packers score big ratings for WITI Nielsen ratings show that much of the region was tuned in". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3.
8. ^ Robinson, Dean (1996-01-08). "TBS premieres 'Survivors of the Holocaust'". The Journal Gazette. p. 4D.
9. Chance, Norman (2011). Who Was Who on TV, Volume 3. Xlibris Corporation. p. 213. ISBN 9781456824549.
10. Willistein, Paul (1994-08-14). "'The Critic' moves to Fox". The Morning Call. p. T01.
11. Richmond, Ray (1995-03-05). "Television - Jones tall in the saddle with 'Good Old Boys". Daily News of Los Angeles. p. L38.
12. Cameron-Wilson, James (1993). Film Review. St. Martin's Press. p. 36.
13. ^ Wuntch, Philip (1992-12-04). "The Distinguished Gentleman - Not quite distinguished, but quite likable". The Dallas Morning News. p. 1C.
14. ^ Johnson, Sharon (1992-12-04). "The Distinguished Gentleman". The Patriot-News. p. C1.
15. Craddock, Jim (2005). Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever. Thomson/Gale. p. 184. ISBN 9780787674700.

External links

• Doris Grau at IMDb

Template:Simpsons cast

Template:Persondata

• 1924 births
• 1995 deaths
• Actors from Los Angeles, California
• Actors from New York
• American voice actors
• Deaths from lung disease
• People from Brooklyn