About Doris Frankel
Lived 1909 – 1994 (aged 84). Doris Frankel was an American writer, poet and playwright.
Doris Frankel (March 20, 1909 – February 3, 1994) was an American playwright, poet, radio show writer, and television show writer. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1930, later writing for several productions.
Personal life Frankel was the daughter of Benjamin Frankel, and was raised in New York City. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1930, and from the Drama 47 Workshop at Yale University in 1932. She married Philip W. Barber, a theatre professional, in 1933. They had two sons before they divorced. One of her sons was political theorist Benjamin Barber.
When she took a hiatus from her career in 1943, she and her two sons went to the Japanese internment camp at Heart Mountain Relocation Center, to join her husband who worked there.
Career In the 1930s, Frankel wrote radio shows such as Cavalcade of America, Counterspy, and The Thin Man. She wrote a volume of poetry in 1930, titled The Sun Beats Down. It was written during a time when Japanese Americans were still interned in concentration camps and she was hopeful that White Americans could accept them.
In the 1950s, she wrote drama television shows for Playhouse 90 and Hallmark Hall of Fame. The first daytime serial for which she wrote was The Brighter Day. Frankel later wrote for the television shows General Hospital, Search for Tomorrow, and All My Children.
Reception Frankel won an Emmy for her work on All My Children in the 1970s.
Death Doris Frankel died in 1994 from a stroke in Manhattan, aged 84.
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Important facts
People in Doris Frankel's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Doris Frankel's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Doris Frankel?
American writer (1909-1994)
When was Doris Frankel born?
Doris Frankel was born on 20 March 1909.
When did Doris Frankel die?
Doris Frankel died on 3 February 1994.
What was Doris Frankel's occupation?
Doris Frankel was a writer, poet and playwright.
What nationality was Doris Frankel?
Doris Frankel was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Doris Frankel. https://biography.guide/doris-frankel/
MLA: "Doris Frankel." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/doris-frankel/.
Chicago: "Doris Frankel." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/doris-frankel/.
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