Doris Grau
Encyclopedia
Doris Grau was an American script supervisor
, actress, and voice artist
from Brooklyn
. Shortly after moving to Hollywood in 1940, she began her career with supervising film and television scripts. She continued to do this until the 1990s and worked on films such as Point Blank and King Kong
and television shows such as Cheers
and The Tracey Ullman Show
. In addition, Grau did some acting in her later years, playing both live-action and animated roles. On the sitcom The Simpsons
, she both worked as a script supervisor and provided the voice of Lunchlady Doris and other minor characters. Grau died from respiratory failure
.
as a teenager in 1940. There she was soon hired as a script supervisor
for the production company Columbia Pictures
.
) 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). In the 1980s, she also supervised scripts of the television show Coward of the County (1982) and the television films The Shadow Riders
(1983), Missing Children: A Mother's Story (1983), Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (1984), Velvet (1984), and My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn
(1985).
In 1986, Grau played a role in the television series All Is Forgiven. Between 1986 and 1987, she 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 as an actress 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
, with 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
Sharon Johnson called her "a delight as the feisty senior citizens' lobbyist who first recognizes Johnson as a winner."
Grau worked as a script supervisor on the sitcom Good Advice
in 1993, and played characters in the sitcoms Phenom
and The George Carlin Show
in 1994. One of her 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.
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. Because episodes of The Simpsons are produced a long time before they air, Grau's last appearance on the show was in the episode "Lisa's Sax
" that aired on October 19, 1997. The characters Grau voiced on The Simpsons were retired out of respect (similar to the retirement of Phil Hartman
's characters), with the exception of Lunchlady Doris, who returned to the show after a decade-long absence in 2006 (voiced by Tress MacNeille
).
Script supervisor
A script supervisor is a member of a film crew responsible for maintaining the motion picture's internal continuity and for recording the production unit's daily progress in shooting the film's screenplay...
, actress, and voice artist
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Shortly after moving to Hollywood in 1940, she began her career with supervising film and television scripts. She continued to do this until the 1990s and worked on films such as Point Blank and King Kong
King Kong (1976 film)
King Kong is a 1976 American monster movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. It is a remake of the 1933 classic film of the same name, about a giant ape that is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition....
and television shows such as Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
and The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts...
. In addition, Grau did some acting in her later years, playing both live-action and animated roles. On the sitcom The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, she both worked as a script supervisor and provided the voice of Lunchlady Doris and other minor characters. Grau died from respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
.
Early life
Grau was born on October 12, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. She moved to the Hollywood district in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
as a teenager in 1940. There she was soon hired as a script supervisor
Script supervisor
A script supervisor is a member of a film crew responsible for maintaining the motion picture's internal continuity and for recording the production unit's daily progress in shooting the film's screenplay...
for the production company Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
.
Career
Grau supervised the script of the 1967 crime film Point Blank, which revolves around a man named Walker (played by Lee MarvinLee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
) 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
King Kong (1976 film)
King Kong is a 1976 American monster movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. It is a remake of the 1933 classic film of the same name, about a giant ape that is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition....
, that tells the story of how a giant ape is captured and imported to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for exhibition. She then supervised the scripts of the films The Champ
The Champ (1979 film)
The Champ is a 1979 remake, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, of the 1931 Academy Award-winning film of the same name which was directed by King Vidor. It stars Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, and Ricky Schroder. It is also the final film for actress Joan Blondell....
(1979), The Frisco Kid
The Frisco Kid
The Frisco Kid is a 1979 movie directed by Robert Aldrich. The movie is a Western comedy featuring Gene Wilder as Avram Belinski, a Polish rabbi who is traveling to San Francisco, and Harrison Ford as a bank robber who befriends him.-Plot:...
(1979), The Hunter (1980), The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981), Caveman
Caveman (film)
Caveman is a 1981 American slapstick comedy film written and directed by Carl Gottlieb and starring Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long and Barbara Bach.-Plot:...
(1981), Clue
Clue (film)
Clue is a 1985 comedy mystery film based on the board game of the same name . The film is a murder mystery set in a Gothic Revival mansion, and is styled after Murder by Death and other various murder/dinner parties of mystery...
(1985), Marie
Marie (film)
Marie is a 1985 film starring Sissy Spacek as the real-life Marie Ragghianti, former head of the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles, who was removed from office in 1977 after refusing to release prisoners who had bribed aides to then-Governor Ray Blanton...
(1985), and No Way Out
No Way Out (1987 film)
No Way Out is a 1987 thriller film about a U.S. Naval officer investigating a Washington, D.C. murder. It stars Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young...
(1987). In the 1980s, she also supervised scripts of the television show Coward of the County (1982) and the television films The Shadow Riders
The Shadow Riders (film)
The Shadow Riders is a 1982 television film western that first aired in the United States on September 28, 1982. It is based on the novel of the same name by Louis L'Amour, and is directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The movie reunites actors Tom Selleck, Sam Elliot, and Jeff Osterhage, who also starred...
(1983), Missing Children: A Mother's Story (1983), Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (1984), Velvet (1984), and My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn
My Wicked, Wicked Ways
My Wicked, Wicked Ways is an autobiography written by Australian actor Errol Flynn with the aid of ghostwriter Earl Conrad. It was released posthumously following the sudden death of the actor and became immensely popular for its cynical tone and candid depiction of the world of filmmaking in...
(1985).
In 1986, Grau played a role in the television series All Is Forgiven. Between 1986 and 1987, she played the character Corinne in a few episodes of the sitcom Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, 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
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts...
(1987–1990), a variety show that featured among many things the first appearance of the fictional animated Simpson family
Simpson family
The Simpson family is a family of fictional characters featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Homer and Marge and their three children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. They live at 742 Evergreen Terrace in the fictional town...
. This family was later given their own animated series on Fox, called The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, 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 as an actress on the animated series The Critic
The Critic
The Critic is an American prime time animated series revolving around the life of film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by actor Jon Lovitz. It was created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, both of whom had worked as writers on The Simpsons. The Critic had 23 episodes produced, first broadcast on ABC in 1994,...
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
The Distinguished Gentleman
The Distinguished Gentleman is a comedy starring Eddie Murphy. The film was directed by Jonathan Lynn. In addition to Murphy, the film stars Lane Smith, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Joe Don Baker, Victoria Rowell, Grant Shaud, Kevin McCarthy, Charles S...
. It revolves around a con man
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
named Jeff Johnson (played by Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
) who tricks people into electing him for the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, with 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
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
, 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
The Patriot-News
The Patriot-News is the largest daily newspaper serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. In 2005, the newspaper was ranked in the top 100 in daily/Sunday circulation in the United States...
Sharon Johnson called her "a delight as the feisty senior citizens' lobbyist who first recognizes Johnson as a winner."
Grau worked as a script supervisor on the sitcom Good Advice
Good Advice (TV series)
Good Advice is an American situation comedy series that aired for two seasons on CBS from 1993 to 1994. It was co-created and executive produced by Danny Jacobson and starred Shelley Long and Treat Williams.-Synopsis:...
in 1993, and played characters in the sitcoms Phenom
Phenom (TV series)
Phenom is an American sitcom about a tennis wunderkind that aired on ABC from September 14, 1993 to May 10, 1994. The series stars Angela Goethals, Judith Light, and William Devane.-Synopsis:...
and The George Carlin Show
The George Carlin Show
The George Carlin Show is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from January 1994 to July 1995. It was created jointly by veteran TV producer Sam Simon and the show's namesake, comedian George Carlin.-Synopsis:...
in 1994. One of her last film appearances was a minor role in the 1995 film Babe
Babe (film)
Babe is a 1995 Australian-American film directed by Chris Noonan. It is an adaptation of the 1983 novel The Sheep-Pig, also known as Babe: The Gallant Pig in the United States, by Dick King-Smith and tells the story of a pig who wants to be a sheepdog...
, 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
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
against his will.
Death
On December 30, 1995, aged 71, Grau died from respiratory failureRespiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
at a hospital in Hollywood. "Team Homer
Team Homer
"Team Homer" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 7, 1996. In the episode, Homer starts a bowling team with Moe, Apu, and Otto. When Mr. Burns discovers the team was funded with his money, he insists on joining...
", an episode of the seventh season
The Simpsons (season 7)
The Simpsons seventh season originally aired on the Fox network between September 17, 1995 and May 19, 1996. The show runners for the seventh production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein who would executive produce 21 episodes this season. David Mirkin executive produced the remaining...
of The Simpsons that aired on January 7, 1996, was dedicated to her memory. Because episodes of The Simpsons are produced a long time before they air, Grau's last appearance on the show was in the episode "Lisa's Sax
Lisa's Sax
"Lisa's Sax" is the third episode of The Simpsons ninth season and originally aired on the Fox network on October 19, 1997 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. In the series' sixth flashback episode, it is explained how Lisa got her saxophone...
" that aired on October 19, 1997. The characters Grau voiced on The Simpsons were retired out of respect (similar to the retirement of Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
's characters), with the exception of Lunchlady Doris, who returned to the show after a decade-long absence in 2006 (voiced by Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille
Tress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
).