Biography
A sadly neglected supporting actress, Ann Doran played everything from
Charley Chase's foil in Columbia two-reelers of the late '30s to
James Dean's mother in
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and also guest starred in such television shows as
Superman,
Petticoat Junction,
Bewitched, and The A Team. A former child model and the daughter of silent screen actress Rose Allen (1885-1977), Doran made her screen bow in
Douglas Fairbanks'
Robin Hood (1922) but then spent the next 12 years or so getting herself an education. She returned to films in 1934 and joined the Columbia short subject department two years later. While with Columbia, Doran worked on all of
Frank Capra's films save
Lost Horizon (1937) and she later toiled for both Paramount and Warner Bros., often receiving fine reviews but always missing out on the one role that may have made her a star. Appearing in more than 500 films and television shows (her own count), Doran worked well into the 1980s, often unbilled but always a noticeable presence. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide