Dodie Heath

Rowena Dolores Heath (August 3, 1926 – June 24, 2023), also known as Dodie Heath and Dody Heath, was an American actress of stage, film, and television. Early life Rowena Dolores Heath was born in Seattle, Washington, on August 3, 1926, to Wilfrid Paul Heath and Alice (Alexander) Heath. She had one sibling, an older brother. Her father was an inventor, who patented processes for using carbonization in the production of ice cream and butter. When Rowena was only six months old, her father sent a testimonial letter and photo of the infant to a goat milk company, praising the product she had been fed on since birth. The company printed both the photo and letter in a Chicago-area newspaper advertisement, preserving the details of Heath's birth and foreshadowing her life in the public eye. Although his patents brought him a substantial income in the 1920s, Heath's father proved a poor investor and was reduced to designing homemade games and toys for local kids in the 1930s. By this time his daughter's first name had been dropped in favor of her middle name. The family relocated to Richmond Beach, Shoreline, Washington by 1940, their fortunes recovering as Heath's father turned to selling electronics, enabling him to provide Heath with a university education. After graduating from the University of Washington School of Drama, Heath moved to Manhattan in July 1949, where she lived at the Rehearsal Club. This social club provided safe and inexpensive accommodations for some fifty aspiring actresses at a time. Heath lived here, helped by a $75 a month subsidy from her parents, until her second Broadway stage job enabled her to get her own apartment.