Doris Singleton (born Dorthea Singleton; September 28, 1919 – June 26, 2012) was an American actress, perhaps best remembered as Lucy Ricardo’s frenemy, the stuck-up Carolyn Appleby, in I Love Lucy.
Singleton guest starred on several other television shows including Hogan’s Heroes, The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Twilight Zone, all on CBS, and on Rod Cameron’s syndicated modern western crime drama, State Trooper. She played Laura, the girlfriend of Butch Cassidy on a 1958 episode, “The Outlaw Legion,” of the syndicated western Frontier Doctor. Singleton played the sympathetic neighbor, Susie, to Annie Fargé’s scatterbrained character “Angel Smith” in the short-lived CBS sitcom Angel (1960–61). Singleton also appeared in All in the Family as Edith’s hotel roommate, Lydia Stonehurst in the 1971 episode “Edith has Jury Duty”. She also appeared in two Perry Mason episodes, titled “The Crooked Candle” and “The Purple Woman”.
Singleton guest-starred on My Three Sons, playing two different characters who had recurring roles throughout the long run of the show. She originally played the mother of Meredith MacRae whose character Sally Morrison married original oldest son Mike Douglas (Tim Considine) in the 1964-65 season. Later she played Margaret, mother of Polly Williams (Ronne Troup) in the 1970-71 season. At the time of her death in June 2012, Singleton was the last surviving major recurring adult cast members from the “Lucy” shows. Her last major acting role was in Deadly Messages (1985), though she appeared in advertising and voice overs for many subsequent years.
Doris Singleton cause of death
Doris Singleton died from complications from cancer on June 26, 2012, in her Los Angeles home. She had no children and left no immediate survivors.
Doris Singleton was 92 years old at the time of her death.