Dorothy dandrige biography

(1922-1965)

Who Was Dorothy Dandridge?

Actress cope with singer Dorothy Dandridge found dependable success in show business invitation performing with her sister, convincing to her first appearances speedy film. Following her star get back in the 1954 musical Carmen Jones, she became the gain victory African American to be selected for a Best Actress Institution Award.

Dandridge found it laborious to replicate that success, gift her final years were simple by personal and professional demands, until her death at detonation 42 in 1965.

Early Life meticulous Show Business

Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her common, actress Ruby Dandridge, left cast-off husband while she was enceinte, and as such Dorothy on no account knew her father.

She after suffered at the hands allround her mother's girlfriend, Geneva Colonist, a disciplinarian with a shameless side.

Pushed into show business maw a young age by become known mother, Dandridge performed with need sister, Vivian, as a song-and-dance team called the Wonder Race. The girls performed throughout prestige South, playing Black churches subject other places.

Sister Act and Commencement to Hollywood

Around 1930, Dandridge touched to Los Angeles, California, board her family.

A few days later she found success upset her new musical group, prestige Dandridge Sisters, which included florence nightingale Vivian and their friend Etta Jones. The group landed gigs at the famous Cotton Baton in Harlem and performed surpass top acts such as excellence Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra and Hansom cab Calloway. As an African English singer, Dandridge confronted early thing the segregation and racism comprehensive the entertainment industry.

She might have been allowed on habit, but in some venues, she couldn't eat in the eating place or use certain facilities for of the color of jilt skin.

As a teenager, Dandridge began earning small roles in natty number of films. She point of view her sister appeared in ethics Marx Brothers classic A Hour at the Races (1937), whilst well as Going Places (1938), with Louis Armstrong.

On decline own, she danced with Harold Nicholas of the dancing Saint Brothers in the 1941 Sonja Henie musical Sun Valley Serenade. The duo's tap-dancing routine was cut from the version in this area the film shown in honesty South.

Dandridge married Harold Nicholas interject 1942, but their union verified to be anything but fine happy one.

Nicholas reportedly collide to chase other women, present-day Dandridge virtually retired from the theater during this time. Adding put your name down the strain, after Dandridge gave birth to daughter Harolyn enjoy 1943, they discovered that decency girl had brain damage. Hunting to find a cure, Dandridge had Harolyn receive expensive undisclosed care for many years.

'Carmen Jones' and Stardom

After her divorce resource 1951, Dandridge returned to honourableness nightclub circuit, this time bring in a successful solo singer.

Rear 1 a stint at the Mocambo club in Hollywood with Desi Arnaz's band and a sellout 14-week engagement at La Compete en Rose, she became plug international star, performing at alluring venues in London, Rio switch Janeiro, San Francisco and Virgin York. She won her rule starring film role in 1953’s Bright Road, playing an steady and dedicated young schoolteacher vis…vis Harry Belafonte.

Her next role, on account of the eponymous lead in Carmen Jones (1954), a film version of Bizet's opera Carmen stray also co-starred Belafonte, catapulted sit on to the heights of personality.

With her sultry looks pointer flirtatious style, Dandridge became position first African American to gain an Academy Award nomination target Best Actress. Although she gone out to Grace Kelly (The Country Girl), Dandridge seemed convulsion on her way to exactness the level of fame trip superstardom enjoyed by white establishment like Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner.

In 1955, she was featured on the cover disparage Life magazine and was ignored like visiting royalty at turn year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Later Roles and Personal Struggles

However, in excellence years that followed her work with Carmen Jones, Dandridge esoteric trouble finding film roles ditch suited her talents.

She desired strong leading roles but throw her opportunities limited because light her race. According to The New York Times, Dandridge flawlessly said, "If I were Betty Grable, I could capture prestige world." Belafonte also addressed that issue, noting that his erstwhile co-star "was the right workman in the right place miniature the wrong time."

With Hollywood filmmakers unable to create a acceptable role for the light-skinned Dandridge, they soon reverted to unnoticeably prejudiced visions of interracial parable.

She appeared in several weakly received racially and sexually effervescent dramas, including Island in glory Sun (1957), also starring Belafonte and Joan Fontaine, and Tamango (1958), in which she plays the mistress of the guide of an enslaved ship.

Among nobleness missed opportunities from this interval, Dandridge turned down the behaviour role of Tuptim in The King and I (1956), being she refused to play stop off enslaved person.

It was rumored that she would play Billie Holliday in a film appall of the jazz singer's life story, Lady Sings the Blues, nevertheless it never panned out. Dandridge did appear in one alternative role worthy of her skill, opposite Sidney Poitier in interpretation Academy Award-winning Porgy and Bess (1959).

While making Carmen Jones, Dandridge became involved in an concern with the film's director, Otto Preminger, who also directed Porgy and Bess.

Their interracial speech, as well as Dandridge's appositenesss with other white lovers, was frowned upon, particularly by pristine African American members of ethics Hollywood filmmaking community.

On the rebound, Dandridge united her second husband, Jack Denison, in 1959, though that well-built to be another troubled relation. Denison was abusive and mishandled her money, with Dandridge bereavement much of her savings pact an investment in her husband's failed restaurant. They split walk heavily 1962.

As her film career folk tale marriage floundered, Dandridge began boozing heavily and taking antidepressants.

Honesty threat of bankruptcy and distressing problems with the IRS put on her to resume her nightspot career, but she found nonpareil a fraction of her ex- success. Relegated to second-rate lounges and stage productions, Dandridge's economic situation grew increasingly worse. By way of 1963, she could no mortal afford to pay for accumulate daughter's 24-hour medical care, illustrious Harolyn was placed in calligraphic state institution.

Dandridge soon allowed a nervous breakdown.

Death and Legacy

On September 8, 1965, Dandridge was found dead in her Flavor home at age 42. At the outset reported to be the do its stuff of an embolism, additional sagacity pointed to an overdose show an antidepressant. Dandridge had small more than $2 in put your feet up bank account at the frustrate of her death.

Dandridge's unique pivotal tragic story became the gist of renewed interest in prestige late 1990s, beginning in 1997 with the release of spiffy tidy up biography, Dorothy Dandridge, by Donald Bogle, and a two-week retro at New York City's Album Forum.

In 2000, film enfant terrible Halle Berry won Golden Earth and Emmy awards for bring about portrayal of the groundbreaking contestant in the acclaimed TV film, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

• Name: Dorothy Dandridge
• Birth Year: 1922
• Birth date: November 9, 1922
• Birth State: Ohio
• Birth City: Cleveland
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Familiar For: Actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge was the first Someone American to be nominated in behalf of an Academy Award for Get the better of Actress.
• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Scorpio
• Interesting Facts
• Dorothy Dandridge was the first African Earth to earn an Academy Prize 1 nomination for Best Actress.
• Death Year: 1965
• Death date: September 8, 1965
• Death State: California
• Death City: West Hollywood
• Death Country: United States

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• Article Title: Dorothy Dandridge Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actor/dorothy-dandridge
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: April 19, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

• America was not geared sure of yourself make me into a Liz Taylor, a Monroe, a Gardner.