| Laraine Day | |
| Birthname: | La Raine Johnson |
| Born: | October 13, 1920 |
| Birthplace: | Roosevelt, Utah |
| Deathplace: | Ivins, Utah |
| Yearsactive: | 1937–1986 |
| Spouse: | Ray Hendricks (1942–1947) Leo Durocher (1947–1960) Michael Grilikhes (1960–2007) |
| Awards: | Hollywood Walk of Fame |
Laraine Day (October 13, 1920 - November 10, 2007)[1] was an American actress and an a former MGM contract star.
Born La Raine Johnson[2] in Roosevelt, Utah, she was a descendant of a prominent Mormon pioneer leader, and moved with her family from Utah to California, where she began her acting career with the Long Beach Players.
In 1937 she debuted onscreen in a bit part in Stella Dallas; shortly afterwards she won lead roles in several George O'Brien westerns at RKO, in which she was billed as "Laraine Hays" and then Laraine Johnson.
In 1939 she signed with MGM, going on to become popular and well-known (billed as Laraine Day) as "Nurse Mary Lamont", the title character's fiancee in a string of seven "Dr. Kildare" movies beginning with Calling Dr. Kildare (1939), with Lew Ayres in the title role.
Her roles for other studios were often far more stimulating than those MGM gave her, including a prominent supporting part in the Irish melodrama My Son, My Son! She starred in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Foreign Correspondent (1940) with Joel McCrea, and the psychological mystery The Locket (1946) with Robert Mitchum, Brian Aherne, and Gene Raymond. She was paired opposite major film stars, including Lana Turner, Cary Grant, and John Wayne, and hosted a TV show alternately called Daydreaming with Laraine or The Laraine Day Show (1951).
She was married to Ray Hendricks from 1942 to 1947, then to the baseball manager Leo Durocher from 1947 to 1960, while she would sometimes be referred to as "the first lady of baseball". While Durocher was managing the New York Giants, Day wrote a book with the punning title Day With the Giants (1952).
Shortly after her divorce from Durocher, Day married television producer Michael Grilikhes in 1960. She and Grilikhes had two daughters, Dana (b. 1962) and Gigi (b. 1964). After their births, Day rarely appeared in films, and only occasionally appeared on TV, portraying matronly types. Day was devoted to the raising of her two daughters, and largely retired from film and television to spend time with her family and be active in her church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Laraine Day has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6676 Hollywood Blvd.
Laraine Day died on November 10, 2007 in Ivins, Utah, aged 87, at the home of her daughter, Gigi Bell, according to her publicist, Dale Olson. Day had moved back to her native Utah in March 2007 following the death of her third husband.
Celebrity Guest Panelist on What's My Line (1955)