Eddie Dowling (December 11, 1889 â€" February 18, 1976) was an
American actor, screenwriter, playwright, director, producer,
songwriter, and composer.Born Joseph Nelson Goucher on December 11,
1889, he was the 14th of 17 children born to a father of
French-Canadian descent and a mother of Irish descent in Woonsocket,
Rhode Island. (Some sources give his middle name as "Narcisse".) He
took his professional surname from the maiden name of his mother,
Bridget Mary Dowling, who was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island. His
father was Charles Goucher, a textile worker, who was born in St
Marcel, Province of Québec, Canada.Dowling began his career in
vaudeville with the Homan Stock Company at the Scenic Temple theatre
in Providence, RI. He appeared on stage for many years, including
appearances in the Ziegfeld Follies. His Broadway debut came in The
Velvet Lady (1919. His most famous role was as "Tom Wingfield" in the
original Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie, starring opposite
Laurette Taylor and Julie Haydon. He produced the play's original
Chicago production in 1944, and followed it to Broadway.Dowling sought
the 1934 Democratic nomination for the United States Senate seat from
Rhode Island. At the time, TIME magazine reported that his
great-grandfather and two great-grand uncles were the founders of
Goucher College for Women in Baltimore, and that "he was the 14th in a
family of 17 children; his schooling had extended only up to the third
grade; he had been a cabin boy and a music hall singer ... and he
owned a sausage factory in California."
American actor, screenwriter, playwright, director, producer,
songwriter, and composer.Born Joseph Nelson Goucher on December 11,
1889, he was the 14th of 17 children born to a father of
French-Canadian descent and a mother of Irish descent in Woonsocket,
Rhode Island. (Some sources give his middle name as "Narcisse".) He
took his professional surname from the maiden name of his mother,
Bridget Mary Dowling, who was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island. His
father was Charles Goucher, a textile worker, who was born in St
Marcel, Province of Québec, Canada.Dowling began his career in
vaudeville with the Homan Stock Company at the Scenic Temple theatre
in Providence, RI. He appeared on stage for many years, including
appearances in the Ziegfeld Follies. His Broadway debut came in The
Velvet Lady (1919. His most famous role was as "Tom Wingfield" in the
original Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie, starring opposite
Laurette Taylor and Julie Haydon. He produced the play's original
Chicago production in 1944, and followed it to Broadway.Dowling sought
the 1934 Democratic nomination for the United States Senate seat from
Rhode Island. At the time, TIME magazine reported that his
great-grandfather and two great-grand uncles were the founders of
Goucher College for Women in Baltimore, and that "he was the 14th in a
family of 17 children; his schooling had extended only up to the third
grade; he had been a cabin boy and a music hall singer ... and he
owned a sausage factory in California."
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