Doris Goddard
Doris Goddard was an Australian cabaret singer and film actress; in her later life, she was also the publican of several hotels in Sydney, including the Hotel Hollywood.
Life and career
Goddard was an entertainer who moved to England to become a star but was told she was too tall to play roles alongside male actors. Goddard called this "an irreversible physical disability" and was told to forget about being on stage and film; she moved to cabaret instead. However, the film Geordie required a tall actress to play alongside Bill Travers, who was 6'4"; Goddard was sent a telegram requesting her services and arrived on set the next day.As a tall actress in Hollywood, Goddard was required to play a Russian spy, Maria, in the 1956 film The Iron Petticoat. She kidnapped Bob Hope and played alongside Katharine Hepburn. Goddard landed several movie roles and is credited to have performed in at least twelve films, most famously Geordie, Tim and Hostage.
At the age of 34, Goddard moved into the hotel industry; she took to it like "a duck to alcohol" as Doris herself put it. She ran several hotels in Sydney, including the Marlborough Hotel in Newtown and the West End Hotel in Balmain. In 1977, she and her husband Charlie Bishop purchased the Hotel Hollywood in Surry Hills. Goddard said "What makes the Hotel Hollywood quite unique is that we haven't tried to tart it up." Charlie worked behind the bar with Goddard singing at the bar with her guitar. During her later years Goddard actively protested Sydney Lockout Laws.
Goddard lived upstairs in the hotel until 18 months before her death, when she moved into a care facility; she died on 29 July 2019. She was buried on 6 August at Rookwood cemetery following a service at St Canice Church in Rushcutters Bay. In a tribute, Sydney Morning Herald journalist Jenny Noyes described Goddard as a 'diva, icon, humanitarian and activist'. Sydney’s deputy Lord Mayor, Linda Scott, called Goddard a "beloved icon" of the city and "always a star". Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore held a one minute silence in Council on 19 August.