Say What? Actress Doris Day Turns 95—Two Years Earlier Than Expected

The star of Pillow Talk and Calamity Jane got some surprising news for her birthday this year—she’s actually turning 95, not 93.

Birthday greetings are in order for Doris Day today (April 3, 2017); however, the actress won’t be ringing in her 93rd year as originally thought. Turns out Day is actually 95 years young.

The “ageless” retired film star has long believed her year of birth to be 1924, but a copy of her birth certificate was recently obtained by the Associated Press from Ohio’s Office of Vital Statistics and it tells an entirely different story.

As it turns out, Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff was actually born on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati.

Photo: Associated Press

“I’ve always said that age is just a number,” Day said in a statement after she heard the news. “I have never paid much attention to birthdays, but it’s great to finally know how old I really am!”

According to Day’s spokesman, Charley Cullen Walters, “There has long been speculation and rumours about Doris’s age and we get this question a lot; looks like we finally have the answer. The story I have heard the most is that at one point Doris was up for a role when quite young and her age may have been miswritten on the audition form. We don’t know if that’s correct, but if so it could’ve simply stuck for all these years.”

And, in honour of Day’s birthday this year, the longtime animal activist (her Doris Day Animal Foundation has drawn thousands of followers over the years) is asking fans to share photos and videos of themselves with their pets using the hashtag #DorisBirthdayWish.

“While I’ve never been one for birthdays, I am certainly excited about what has become such a loving annual tradition of song, dance, and four-legged friends!” Day said in a press release. “And while I am just learning what a ‘hashtag’ means, I can’t wait to see you all share your love for animals on social media. What a fun way to get new generations involved in this cause, and I’ll be watching so be clever!”

Wishing Doris Day a happy (if unexpected) 95th birthday!