Marriage Web

Jack Doyle
-Dec. 13, 1978
m.1.)actress Judith Allen
m.2.)1939-1944 actress Movita

Irish boxer, known as "The Gorgeous Gael." Born at 12 Queen's Street in Queenstown (now Connolly Street in Cobh), he joined the Irish Guards at the age of 17 and boxed for the British Army, winning all 28 of his bouts, 27 of them by knockouts. He was brought out of the Army by a promoter named Dan Sullivan. In his first professional fight, he K.O.'d Chris Goulding, and won nine further bouts that year, all within the first two minutes. In July 1933 at the White City Stadium (now demolished) in London, he fought Jack Petersen of Wales for the British Heavyweight title, but was disqualified in the second round for punching below the belt and was suspended for six months. In his comeback fight, he knocked out Frank Borrington within 83 seconds. He then went to America, where he fought four times but was knocked out by Buddy Baer in the first round, and abandoned boxing for a while. He appeared in two Hollywood B-movies: "Navy Spy" (1934) and, three years later, in the title role of "McGlusky the Sea Rover" (a.k.a. "Hell's Cargo.") On his return to the British Isles, in his second comeback fight, against Alf Robinson, he was, again, disqualified. However, he beat Harry Staels in the sixth round and King Levinsky on points (the picture shows him after the Levinsky fight), only to be knocked out twice (1938 and 1939) by Eddie Phillips. His last fight was in 1942, in Dublin's Dalymount Park, against Chris Cole, who knocked him out in the first round; it is said that Doyle had spent far too much time in the hotel bar before the fight. Doyle was married twice: firstly, to the Hollywood actress Judith Allen, who divorced him, citing one Delphine Dodge as the "other woman"; and, in 1939, to Movita, who played Tehanni in the 1935 version of "Mutiny on the Bounty." That, too, ended in divorce in 1944, and she went on to marry Marlon Brando. Although Doyle had won 17 of his 23 professional bouts, he became an alcoholic, was declared bankrupt on two occasions, and spent a fortnight in Mountjoy Prison for assaulting a detective. It is said that, during his final years, his only sources of income were the £25 per month he received from Movita as part of their divorce settlement, and a remittance of £100 per month from the Dodge family, which was paid on the understanding that he had no further contact with their daughter. (bio by: Iain MacFarlaine)


Death: Dec. 13, 1978 Burial:Cobh Old Church Cemetery Cork, Co. Cork, Ireland


For more on Doyle - http://www.terracetalkireland.com/profiles/jack_doyle.htm
http://www.aoh61.com/boxing.htm