Doris Day is two years older than she thought she was.
The ‘Calamity Jane’ star had believed Monday (03.02.17) would mark her 93rd birthday – but a copy of her birth certificate, obtained from Ohio’s Office of Vital Statistics, has revealed the actress was actually born in 1922, and not 1924 as she’d previously believed.
In a statement, she said: "I’ve always said that age is just a number and I have never paid much attention to birthdays, but it’s great to finally know how old I really am."
The documentation shows that the actress was given her pre-fame name of Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff on 3 April 1922 by her parents Alma and William Kappelhoff of Cincinnati.
Charley Cullen Walters, Doris’ spokesman, said the emergence of the birth certificate should finally end the debate that has surrounded the actress’ age for decades.
He said: "There has long been speculation and rumours about Doris’s age and we get this question a lot; looks like we finally have the answer.
"The story I have heard the most is that at one point Doris was up for a role when quite young and her age may have been miss-written on the audition form. We don’t know if that’s correct, but if so it could’ve simply stuck for all these years."
The revelation means Doris is, in fact, just a few months younger than her long-time friend Betty White, who celebrated turning 95 in January, and has previously joked about Doris’ age.
Doris’ spokesman added: "Now we know that they are actually just a couple months apart."
Meanwhile, Doris has used some of her previous birthdays to highlight her favourite cause of animal welfare.
The actress founded the Doris Day Animal Foundation in 1978 to provide grants to help rescue and protect animals.
Doris Day is two years older than she thought
