Doris Day

Celebrating Hollywood's Kindnest of Stars

Doris Day remains one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars, but her legacy stretches far beyond film and music. Born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff in 1922, she first found success not as an actress but as a band singer, her clear, expressive voice making her one of America’s most popular recording artists of the 1940s. Hollywood soon followed, and throughout the 1950s and 60s she became a defining presence in cinema - equally at home in romantic comedies, musicals and dramatic roles. Her natural warmth and incredible screen presence made her one of the biggest box-office draws of the era.

Yet it was her life away from the spotlight that revealed the full measure of her character. Deeply compassionate and practical by nature, Doris became a powerful voice for animal welfare - a cause she championed long before it entered mainstream conversation. In 1978 she founded the Doris Day Pet Foundation (now the Doris Day Animal Foundation), dedicated to rescuing animals in need, and today, the DDAF supports hundreds of animal charities accross the United States. Her advocacy was not a celebrity afterthought but a true calling - she used her platform, resources and influence to push for kindness and responsibility for our animal friends.

This new collage captures that spirit beautifully. Set against a star-filled sky, and sprinkled with magic, the portrait has a dreamlike quality. The artwork celebrates not only her elegance and immense talent but also the generosity that guided her personal life and her decades of activism. It reflects the duality of her legacy: a woman who shone brightly in the golden age of Hollywood while devoting herself wholeheartedly to the welfare of animals.