Doris Grau | |
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| Born | (1924-10-12)October 12, 1924 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 30, 1995(1995-12-30) (aged 71) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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Doris Grau (October 12, 1924 – December 30, 1995) was an American actress andscript supervisor fromBrooklyn. After moving toHollywood in 1940, she began her career supervising film and television scripts. She continued to do this until the 1990s and worked on films such asPoint Blank andKing Kong and television shows such asCheers andThe Tracey Ullman Show. Grau did some acting in her later years, playing live-action and animated roles. On the sitcomThe Simpsons, she worked as a script supervisor and provided the voice ofLunchlady Doris and other minor characters.
Grau was born on October 12, 1924, inBrooklyn, New York. She moved to theHollywood district inLos Angeles, California, as a teenager in 1940.[1][2] There she was soon hired as ascript supervisor for the production companyColumbia Pictures.[1][2]
Grau supervised the script of the 1967crime filmPoint Blank, which revolves around a man named Walker (played byLee 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.[3] Grau was also the script supervisor of the 1976 remake ofKing Kong.[4] She then supervised the scripts of the filmsThe Champ (1979),The Frisco Kid (1979),The Hunter (1980),The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981),Caveman (1981),Clue (1985),Marie (1985), andNo Way Out (1987).[5] In the 1980s, she also supervised scripts of the television showCoward of the County (1982) and the television filmsThe Shadow Riders (1983),Missing Children: A Mother's Story (1983),Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (1984),Velvet (1984), andMy Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn (1985).[5]
In 1986, Grau played a role in the television seriesAll Is Forgiven.[5] Between 1986 and 1987, she played the character Corinne in a few episodes of the sitcomCheers,[1] a show on which she had previously worked as script supervisor during seasons one and four.[6] Grau worked as a script supervisor onFox Broadcasting Company'sThe Tracey Ullman Show (1987–1990), a variety show that featured among many things the first appearance of the fictional animatedSimpson family.[7] This family was later given their own animated series on Fox, calledThe Simpsons, in 1989. Grau worked on that show as a script supervisor as well.[7] Grau also voiced some characters inThe Simpsons. She is best known for lending her voice toLunchlady Doris, who speaks with a "gruff voice" according toThe Journal Gazette editor Dean Robinson.[8] This character appeared on the show with Grau's voice between 1991 and 1997. Grau also worked as an actress on the animated seriesThe Critic that was created by writers ofThe Simpsons in 1994. She voiced thechain-smoking characterDoris Grossman, who is the make-up artist for the main character of the show.[9][10]
In 1992, Grau appeared in the supporting role of Hattie Rifkin in the filmThe Distinguished Gentleman.[11] According to Philip Wuntch, film critic forThe 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."[12]The Patriot-News's Sharon Johnson called her "a delight as the feisty senior citizens' lobbyist who first recognizes Johnson as a winner."[13]
Grau worked as a script supervisor on the sitcomGood Advice in 1993, and played characters in the sitcomsPhenom andThe George Carlin Show in 1994.[5] One of her last film appearances was a minor role in the 1995 filmBabe, which is about a pig who wants to be a sheepdog.[1] She also appeared as the character Rose in the 1995 filmColdblooded that tells the story of a member of the Mob who is promoted tohitman against his will.[14]
On December 30, 1995, aged 71, Grau died fromrespiratory failure at a hospital in Hollywood.[1] "Team Homer", an episode of theseventh season ofThe Simpsons that aired on January 7, 1996, was dedicated to her memory.[8] Because some episodes ofThe Simpsons are produced long before they air, Grau's last appearance on the show was in the season 9 episode "Lisa's Sax" (an episode originally produced for season 7) that aired on October 19, 1997. Her character, Lunchlady Doris onThe Simpsons was retired out of respect (similar to the retirement ofPhil Hartman's characters). However, the character returned to the show after a decade-long absence in 2006 (voiced byTress MacNeille and renamed Lunchlady Dora.)[15]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Distinguished Gentleman | Hattie Rifkin | |
| 1995 | Coldblooded | Rose | |
| 1995 | Babe | Country Woman (voice) | Final role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-1987 | Cheers | Corinne | 3 episodes |
| 1988-1990 | DuckTales | Additional Voices (voice) | 15 episodes |
| 1991-1997 | The Simpsons | Lunchlady Doris, Various (voice) | 22 episodes |
| 1994 | The George Carlin Show | Mom | Episode: "George Loses His Thermos" |
| 1994-1995 | The Critic | Doris Grossman (voice) | 23 episodes |
| 1994 | Phenom | Mrs. Mackie | Episode: "It's a Wonderful Mid-Life Crisis" |
| 1994 | Monty | Elsa | Episode: "Eggheads" |
