Toni Darnay

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Toni Darnay
Publicity Photo of Toni Darnay
Born
Mercy Mustell

April 11, 1921
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJanuary 5, 1983(1983-01-05) (aged 61)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress
dancer
Spouse(s)Elwood (Bill) Hoffman (1947 - 1962, his death)[1][2]
Hobe Morrison (1964 - 1983, her death)[1][3]
Children2

Toni Darnay (born Mercy Mustell,[3] April 11, 1921 – January 5, 1983)[4] was an American actress and dancer.

Early years[edit]

Darnay was born in Chicago, Illinois.[4] Her father, Robert R. Mustell,[5] was a doctor, and her mother had acted in silent films[6]: 71  and on stage in theaters owned by Darnay's grandfather, Landon Gates.[7] She attended College Prep High School in Chicago,[8] and at the Chicago Art Theatre she studied acting, dancing, and singing.[6]: 71  As a youngster, she danced in clubs, including The Palmer House and Chez Paree[7] and performed in vaudeville, repertory theater, and summer stock but often found her ventures ended by her father.[9] After taking night classes for a year at Northwestern University (often dashing from the campus to a night club to dance), she went to New York, looking for work on Broadway at age 19.[6]: 71 

Career[edit]

In Chicago in 1940, Darnay was a member of Winnie Hoveler's Dancing Darlings, performing in the floor show at Harry's New Yorker.[10]

Darnay acted in stock theater companies at Oconomowac Walk, Wisconsin, and Bridgehampton, Long Island, among other places.[7] She toured with a company of Arsenic and Old Lace, as the ingenue lead, and acted in Black Narcissus, The Duenna, and Name Your Own Poison.[11] On Broadway, Darnay danced in Sadie Thompson (1944), was an understudy in The Women (1973), and was both a performer and an understudy in Molly (1973), The Heiress (1976), and Vieux Carre (1977).[4] Other stage productions in which she performed included The Heiress, Life with Father, Molly, and The Women.[3]

While Darnay was in an out-of-town opening for her first Broadway play, she auditioned for, and won, the title role in the radio serial The Strange Romance of Evelyn Winters,[6] which ran on CBS from November 20, 1944, to November 12, 1948.[12] She also acted on other radio soap operas, including starring as Nona Dutell on Nona from Nowhere,[12]: 257  and playing Sylvia Field in When a Girl Marries,[12]: 351-352  Libby Allen on Stella Dallas,[13] and Nancy on Just Plain Bill.[14] She was also heard regularly on Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories on radio[15] and appeared frequently on television programs.[16] Her work on TV included Eleanor and Franklin, nine Hallmark Hall of Fame programs,[3] and several soap operas, including running roles in The Edge of Night and Search for Tomorrow.[17]

Darnay also appeared in films, including The Exorcist, Pendulum, and The Swimmer.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Darnay was married to writer Elwood (Bill) Hoffman from March 1947 until his death in January 1962.[1][2] They had two children,[6] including noted defense attorney Darnay Hoffman.[18] In 1964, she married theatrical columnist Hobe Morrison, and they remained wed until her death.[3]

Death[edit]

On January 5, 1983, Darnay died of lung cancer at her home in Manhattan at age 61.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Marriages". Variety. October 8, 1976. p. 71. ProQuest 505749258. Toni Darnay to Hobe Morrison, Nov. 20, West Nyack, N.Y. She's a legit - television - radio actress, widow of playwright - tv scripter Bill Hoffman; he's legit editor and Broadway reviewer for Variety.
  2. ^ a b Landry, Robert J. (January 24, 1962). "Playwright Bill Hoffman Passes; Colorful Figure of Air Media & Broadway". Variety. pp. 2, 69. ProQuest 962774887. Bill Hoffman, 44, who died suddenly Monday afternoon (22) in his Manhattan apartment at 309 East 17 Street, was one of the most colorful figures at the Columbia Broadcasting System [...] when the CBS radio department was rated the pace-setter of the industry. [...] His widow is the radio-tv and stage actress, Toni Darnay. [...] The Hoffmans' two children, in their early teens, are Toni Phillipe and Darnay.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Toni Darnay, 61". The Herald-News. New Jersey, Passaic. January 8, 1983. p. 7. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Toni Darnay". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  5. ^ "15 Republicans in Campaign for Coroner and Recorder Jobs". Chicago Tribune. Illinois, Chicago. March 15, 1940. p. 6. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e Darnay, Toni (August 1952). "My life is simply perfect" (PDF). Radio-TV Mirror. 38 (3): 32–33, 71. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Introducing Toni Darnay" (PDF). Radio Romances. 24 (4): 77. September 1945. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "Toni Darnay Leads Top Dramatic Role". The Jackson Sun. Tennessee, Jackson. July 22, 1951. p. 32. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Toni Darnay" (PDF). Radio-TV Mirror. 40 (2): 17. July 1953. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  10. ^ "Dancing darling Darnay". Chicago Tribune. Illinois, Chicago. January 14, 1940. p. 51. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Carson, Jim (June 1, 1946). "Listen!". The Atchison Daily Globe. Kansas, Atchison. p. 3. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 319–320. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
  13. ^ Steinhauser, Si (March 9, 1945). "Radio Comics Establish Youth Foundation". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 37. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Stage-Struck Toni Darnay Clicks on Air". Detroit Free Press. Michigan, Detroit. December 17, 1951. p. 41. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Lackmann, Ron (2000). The Encyclopedia of American Radio (PDF) (Updated ed.). New York, New York: Checkmark Books. p. 24. ISBN 0-8160-4137-7. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  16. ^ "Bill's Daughter" (PDF). Radio-TV Mirror. 39 (2): 17. January 1953.
  17. ^ "Toni Darnay, radio and TV performer; had 'Exorcist' role". The New York Times. New York, New York City. January 8, 1983. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  18. ^ Who's who in the World. Marquis Who's Who. 2005. p. 947. ISBN 0-8379-1133-8.
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