Dolores Hope facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dolores Hope
DC*SG
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Hope in 1990
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dolores L. DeFina |
| Also known as | Dolores Reade |
| Born | May 27, 1909 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 19, 2011 (aged 102) Toluca Lake, California, U.S. (buried San Fernando Mission, L.A.) |
| Occupations | Singer, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1929–2011 |
Dolores Hope, also known as Dolores DeFina, was an American singer and entertainer. She was also a philanthropist, meaning she loved to help others and give to good causes. She was married to the famous American actor and comedian Bob Hope for many years.
Contents
Early Life and Singing Career
Dolores L. DeFina was born on May 27, 1909, in the Harlem area of Manhattan, New York. Her family had both Italian and Irish backgrounds. She grew up in the Bronx. After her father, Jack DeFina, passed away in 1925, her mother, Theresa, raised Dolores and her younger sister, Mildred. Her mother worked as a saleslady to support the family.
In the 1930s, Dolores started her professional singing career. She used the stage name Dolores Reade, which her agent suggested. She sang with Joe Venuti and His Orchestra on some recordings. In 1933, she met Bob Hope at a nightclub in Manhattan. They reportedly got married on February 19, 1934, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Later, they adopted four children: Eleanora, Linda, William (Kelly), and Anthony.
During the 1940s, Dolores began to join her husband, Bob, on his tours. They traveled to entertain U.S. troops who were serving overseas. She continued to do this important work for more than 50 years. In 1990, she was the only female entertainer allowed to perform in Saudi Arabia.
When she was 83 years old, Dolores recorded her first CD, called Dolores Hope: Now and Then. She made three more albums after that. She also recorded a Christmas CD with Bob called Hopes for the Holidays.
Later Years and Milestones
Dolores Hope was an honorary board member of a humanitarian group called Wings of Hope. On May 29, 2003, Dolores was with her husband when he celebrated his 100th birthday. Bob Hope passed away two months later. They had been married for 69 years, which was one of the longest marriages in Hollywood at that time. The next year, their younger son, Anthony Hope, passed away at age 63.
On October 21, 2008, when she was 99, Dolores was taken to the hospital. She had some routine tests and was back home in just a few hours.
In 2009, Dolores Hope became a centenarian, meaning she turned 100 years old. Her birthday was even shown on The Today Show. Her elder son said in an interview, "I think of her as love."
On her 101st birthday in 2010, she told the local news that she was keeping the celebration quiet. She said she was "still recovering" from her 100th birthday party. On May 27, 2011, she celebrated her 102nd birthday at her home in California.
Death
Dolores Hope passed away peacefully at her home in Toluca Lake, California, on September 19, 2011. She was 102 years old. She had been in good health until a few months before she died.
Honors and Awards
Dolores Hope received many special honors during her long life.
Religious Honors
- She was named a Dame of St. Gregory with Star. This is a very special honor given by the Pope.
- She received the President's Medal from Loyola College in Maryland.
- She was given the Outstanding Catholic Laywoman Award from St. Louis University.
- She earned the Elizabeth Seton Medal Award from Seton Hill University.
- She received the Terence Cardinal Cooke Humanitarian Award.
- She was awarded the Patronal Medal from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the Catholic University of America.
Secular Honors
- She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in live theater.
- A street in the Bronx, her hometown, was named after her.
- A collection of beautiful tree peonies was named in her honor.
- She received the Chancellor Medal from the University of California, Riverside.
- She was given the Winnie Palmer Humanitarian Award.
- She received the Patty Berg Award in 2008 for helping women's golf.
- In 1997, she received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California.
See also
In Spanish: Dolores Hope para niños
