Brunette, curvaceous Dorothy Coburn was the daughter of western
actor/producer Wallace G. Coburn. Her grandfather Robert, a pioneer cattleman, had founded the famous Montana Circle C Ranch in 1886. Dorothy
appeared in silent comedy shorts for
Hal Roach -- often as the quintessential
flapper, society lady or nurse. A feisty personality, she was ideally cast as a perennial foil for
Stan Laurel and
Oliver Hardy. Her best-known appearances
with the famous duo include
Kavaliere für 24 Stunden (1927)
(where Stan inadvertently covers her bottom with white paint);
Der Jüngling aus der Fremde (1927)
(in which she is being chased by an over-amorous, kilt-wearing Stan
Laurel around town); and as a dentist's nurse in
Leave 'em Laughing (1928). A genuine trooper, Dorothy cheerfully took every indignity inflicted upon
her in her stride, whether it was falling into a pit of whitewash in
Das unfertige Fertighaus (1928),
being pied in
Alles in Schlagsahne (1927),
or covered in mud in
Dick und Dof spielen Golf (1928).
Also an accomplished rider and a fit athlete, Dorothy (billed as 'Dottie Coburn') occasionally
worked as a stunt performer in westerns, doubling for the likes of Gary Cooper and Joel McCrea. After the advent of sound, she
was sometimes engaged as a stand-in for
Ginger Rogers at RKO. After leaving the
movie business in 1936, she found employment as a receptionist for an
insurance agency.
