She was born on August 27, 1910 in Dallas, Texas. Doris was the only child of Olin and Beulah McMahen (she later changed the spelling of her last name). Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was a child. After graduating from high school she went to New York City to pursue a career as a dancer. She appeared in several Broadway shows including No, No Nanette. In 1929 she made her film debut in the comedy short The Plumbers Are Coming. The following year Cecil B. Demille gave her a featured role in his movie Madame Satan.
Flo Ziegfeld offered her a part in the Ziegfeld Follies but she turned him down. Doris had small roles in the films Dames and Hips Hips Hooray. Unfortunately her Hollywood career never took off. She married agent Halam Cooley on August 1, 1935. Soon after she quit show business and decided to be a housewife. Her final film was the 1935 comedy Alibi Bye Bye. Doris and her husband moved into a home on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The couple never had children. Sadly on August 31, 1961 Doris passed away suddenly. She was only fifty-one years old. Her cause of death was not released to the public.
