Who was Barry Comden, American actress Doris Day's fourth husband?

Who was Barry Comden, American actress Doris Day's fourth husband?

American actress and singer Doris Day lived a vibrant life on and off the screen. With a lengthy catalogue of acting credits and a few marriages, Doris was a prominent figure in entertainment whose personal life drew much attention. Who was Barry Comden, her fourth husband?

Who was Doris Day’s fourth husband?
Doris Day and former husband, Barry Comden. Photo: Ron Galella
Source: Getty Images

Barry Comden and Doris Day's marriage was short-lived, lasting around six years before the couple called it quits. There is little publicly known of their union, and they had not discussed their marriage, but we know that Barry is over a decade her junior and went on to find success in the hospitality sector.

Profile summary and bio

Full nameBarry David Comden
Date of birthMarch 30, 1935
Age74 years old at the time of passing (2009)
Zodiac signAries
BirthplaceNew York, USA
Romantic orientationHeterosexual
Current residenceLos Angeles, California, USA, at the time of his passing
Current nationalityAmerican
Marital statusDivorced from Doris Day (married from 1976 to 1982)
EthnicityWhite
GenderMale
Hair colourGrey
Eye colourBrown
ParentsDavid and Natalie Comden
ProfessionBusinessman and restaurateur
Native languageEnglish

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According to sources, the former couple met at the Old World Restaurant, where Barry worked. It was Doris' favourite restaurant at the time. Barry would give the actress scraps and bones for her dogs, seemingly the best way to her heart. They became close and eventually began dating.

Doris Day

Born as Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, Doris Day became a massive name in Hollywood. She became well-known through her many skills, including acting, singing, and producing. Doris was also an activist with a passion for animal rights.

What did Marty Melcher do to Doris Day?

Martin Melcher was Doris Day's third husband. The couple wed in 1951 and remained married until he died in 1968. According to online sources, Martin controlled Doris' career and encouraged her to take on massive roles, which she did not see much money returned.

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In her book, Doris Day: Her Own Story, the beloved actress said that Marty and Jerome Rosenthal, his lawyer, planned to 'wipe out the millions', which became the case. Her son, Terry, told Doris she was broke and had a tax debt of nearly half a million dollars on top of that.

Unbeknownst to Doris, Marty had also borrowed money against her record contract for songs that still needed to be recorded and signed her up to be a part of a TV series she was unaware of until weeks before filming.

Barry Comden’s net worth
The former couple were married from 1976 to 1982. Photo: Tom Wargacki and Ron Galella (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Who received Doris Day's money when she died?

Doris had an 8.62-acre estate listed for $7.4 million by Sotheby’s International Real Estate when it went up for sale in 2020. The estate was sold in 2021 for $5.7 million, and all proceeds would go to her charity, the Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF).

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Did Doris Day have a child?

The actress has one child, Terrence Paul Melcher, whom she had with her first husband, Al Jorden. Terrence, better known as Terry, was born on February 8, 1942, in New York, USA and died in Beverly Hills, California, USA on November 19, 2004.

Terry was a record producer, having worked with massive musical acts like The Byrds and The Beach Boys. He was legally adopted by her third husband, Marty Melcher when he was young.

Barry Comden

Barry Comden's marriage to Doris Day had spotlighted his otherwise private life. Although they were only married from 1976 to 1982, their union had a lasting impact regarding public interest in Barry. Information on his life is limited, but below is we know in more detail.

What happened with Doris Day?
Doris Day at the dog-friendly hotel she owned in Carmel, California, July 16, 1985. Photo: Paul Harris
Source: Getty Images

How old was Barry Comden?

The businessman, Barry Comden, was born on March 30, 1935, and was 74 years of age at the time of his passing in 2009.

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Barry Comden's career

Barry is listed as a businessperson and restauranter. According to Restaurant-ing through history, he has experience in various aspects of the restaurant business, working his way through the ranks. He was involved with a restaurant dining club called Invitation Dinners in the 1960s, which sold coupon books that gave customers two dinners for the price of one at included member restaurants.

Barry was hired to open the Old World Restaurant in the 1970s in the Westwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles, being the maître d’ or manager (possibly both). During this time, he was supervising the building of a rib place in Palm Springs named Tony Roma’s.

Barry Comden’s cause of death

Reports state Barry died on May 25, 2009, in his home in Los Angeles, California. His son, Danny, said that heart failure caused his death.

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Barry Comden's name is synonymous with one of Hollywood's most beloved entertainers, but he found success in his own right through his passion for the restaurant business. His passion for his job did not go unnoticed, and he was considered a prominent figure in the industry during the 1960s and 1970s.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Justine De Lange avatar

Justine De Lange (Lifestyle writer) Justine De Lange has over 6 years of experience in lifestyle, corporate and freelance writing. She started at Now Media for their lifestyle publication 'Let's Go', then joined 'travSIM' and 'Metavaro'. She now writes for Briefly News as a content writer, working with beats such as studies, services, business tips, and celebrity biographies (joined in 2022). In 2023, Justine finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can contact her directly via JustinedeLange14@gmail.com.