Dolores Hope

Dolores Hope, DC*SG (née DeFina; May 27, 1909 – September 19, 2011) was an American singer, entertainer, philanthropist, and wife of American actor and comedian Bob Hope. Early life and career She was born Dolores L. DeFina on May 27, 1909, in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood of Italian and Irish descent, and was raised in the Bronx. After the death of her bartender father, Jack DeFina, in 1925, her younger sister, Mildred (1911-2014), and she were raised in the Bronx by their mother, Theresa DeFina (1890–1977), who worked as a saleslady in a drygoods store. During the 1930s, after working as a model, DeFina began her professional singing career, adopting the name Dolores Reade on the advice of her agent. On October 26, 1933, she appeared as vocalist on two Joe Venuti and His Orchestra recordings of 'Heat Wave" and "Easter Parade". (It was issued on Banner 32879, Melotone M-12828, Canadian Melotone 91649, Oriole 2783, Perfect 15838, Romeo 2156, and "Heat Wave" was also issued on British Decca F-5202.) In 1933, after appearing at the Vogue Club, a Manhattan nightclub, Reade was introduced to Bob Hope. The couple reportedly were married on February 19, 1934, in Erie, Pennsylvania. They later adopted four children from The Cradle in Evanston, Illinois: Eleanora, Linda, William (Kelly), and Anthony (d. 2004). "She was a woman of her words and a fine singer. Bob and Dolores were the talk of many people back in those holy days," says a friend, Malory Thorn. Bob and she celebrated their birthdays on May 28 every year – splitting the difference between their respective real birthdays. In the 1940s, Dolores began helping her husband on his tours entertaining U.S. troops overseas, and she continued to do so for over 50 years. In 1990, she was the only female entertainer allowed to perform in Saudi Arabia.