Old Hollywood starlet, Dorothy Dandridge, could do it all. Dandridge was a drop-dead gorgeous triple threat, making history when she became the first African-American to be nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award.
Dandridge began her career dancing with her sister, Vivian, as “The Wonder Children.” The group, renamed “The Dandridge Sisters” in 1934, played popular New York clubs, The Cotton Club and The Apollo, and made small on-screen appearances in several films.
Dandridge landed minor film roles in the 1940s and continued to perform as a singer at nightclubs. In 1951, Dandridge began to pick up momentum performing live, making a rave opening at Hollywood’s Mocombo nightclub (the biggest opening in its history). Dandridge returned to the Mocombo in 1952 and caught the attention of a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer agent who suggested Dandridge be cast as a club singer in the 1953 film, Remains to be Seen. Later that year, Dandridge landed her first starring role in Bright Road with Harry Belafonte.
It was Dandridge’s role in the all-black musical film adaptation of Oscar Hammerstein’s Broadway show, Carmen Jones, that earned her an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress. After the success of the film (and her Oscar nomination), Dandridge’s star skyrocketed, and she signed a three-movie deal with 20th Century Fox.
In 1955, Dandridge performed at the prestigious Empire Room in New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel, becoming the first black performer to play there and opening the door for numerous other black artists, such as Lena Horne and Count Basie.
Dandridge continued to act and perform through the 1950s, but in 1965, with her career beginning to dwindle, Dandridge passed away after accidentally overdosing on the antidepressant, Tofranil.
1999, Halle Berry portrayed Dandridge in the biopic, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, earning Berry an Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award, and when Berry became the first African-American to win the Best Actress Academy Award in 2001 (for Monster’s Ball), she dedicated it to Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, and Diahann Carroll.
I found so many beautiful GIFs of Dorothy, so stay tuned for PART 2 later today! xoxo
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