Most Beautiful Classic Black Actresses
This is a list of classic black actresses from the Golden Era of Hollywood and Harlem from the 1920's to the 1950's. Some of these actresses are well-known, some aren't, but their worth knowing, and its worth checking out their films. I will get profile photos added in the meanwhile. I want to educate people that there were other black actresses of the classic era besides our beloved Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge.
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Nina Mae McKinney is known as the seductress "Chick" from Hallelujah (1929), the first all-black, all-sound musical. Even though she was acknowledged as a great actress, singer and dancer by audiences in the U.S. and Europe, today she is mostly forgotten. She certainly had the looks, enthusiasm, and acting talent to succeed. But as she and other black women of her time learned, there wasn't much work for a black woman other than as a maid, "mammy" figure, or prostitute. Hollywood was scared to take a chance on an attractive black woman, to make her into a glamorous sex symbol as they would with an attractive white actress. There would be no true glamorous black female sex symbol until Lena Horne's arrival in 1942. Nina learned, as did other black actresses, that there was little success to be had after an initial big splash.
McKinney was born in 1913 in the small town of Lancaster, South Carolina, eventually to become an international figure as an actress, singer and band leader. Her given name was Nannie Mayme McKinney. Her parents, Hal and Georgia McKinney, moved from Lancaster to New York City and left the child with her great-aunt, Carrie Sanders. "Aunt Carrie" lived in a small apartment in the backyard of Col. Leroy Springs, father of businessman and flying ace Elliott White Springs. Aunt Carrie worked as a cook and housekeeper for the Springs family. As soon as Nannie Mayme was old enough she ran errands for Lena Jones Springs, who gave her a bicycle to ride to the post office to pick up the mail. Nannie Mayme's first public performances were riding stunts, or "cutting capers", as amazed bystanders called it. She appeared in plays at the black Lancaster Industrial School (founded by Springs), where she quickly learned the lines of the entire cast.
At about age 13 she headed for New York to stay with her mother, Georgia Crawford McKinney. Choosing Nina Mae as her stage name, she managed to get a job as a chorus girl in the Broadway play "Blackbirds". Her lively performance caught the attention of MGM producer/director King Vidor, who gave her a starring role in Hallelujah (1929). It was the first all-black sound musical features, even though many theaters billed the film as "a story of murder and redemption in the Deep South." This melodrama was not widely acclaimed at the time, but movie historians now see it as an interesting introduction to black theater (one critic described it as having "a crude power").
Nina was signed by MGM to a five-year contract, but in that period she made only two films, Safe in Hell (1931) and Reckless (1935) (in which she didn't even appear on screen; she dubbed Jean Harlow's songs). Hollywood could accept black character actresses like Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen having a close relationship with white characters in a film, but would not allow a beautiful black actress the same natural role. However, her first film gave her the opportunity to appear in a number of all-black cast or black-themed films, including Sanders of the River (1935) with Paul Robeson, Dark Waters (1944) and Pinky (1949) (as Rozelia), which is considered her finest film.
She had much more success on stage. She played Jeanne Eagels' role in "Rain" at Harlem's famed Apollo Theatre. She proved that she could well have become one of America's enduring performers--she had the talent, the beauty, and the star power, but she realized that the doors to real success were permanently barred to her in Hollywood. She soon left the U.S. for Europe. She made film and stage appearances all over the Continent, from Paris and London to Dublin and Budapest, and became known as "The Black Garbo".
When war broke out in Europe she returned to New York, where she married jazz musician Jimmy Monroe and put together a band and toured the country. In the 1950s and 1960s she lived in Athens, Greece, where she was known as the "Queen of Night Life." In the late 1960s she came back to New York but did not perform, and died in New York City in 1967, at age 54, of a heart attack. Her death went virtually unnoticed; trade papers such as Variety and black publications such as Jet and Ebony didn't even print an obituary, and one newspaper that did only called her an "entertainer" and didn't name the church where the funeral would be held.
Not everyone forgot her, though; in her home town of Lancaster, South Carolina, on a wall across from the Courthouse, is a mural with portraits of famous people from Lancaster. Among them two faces stand out. One is former President Andrew Jackson. The other is Nina.- Actress
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Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, pioneering black actress Evelyn Preer was educated in Chicago, where she and her mother moved after the death of her father. She entered show business vis vaudeville and the "chitlin' circuit" of minstrel shows that served the country's strictly segregated black communities at the turn of the century. She also appeared on Broadway, and in 1919 made her film debut in The Homesteader (1919), which was also the first film for pioneering black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. She made nine more films with Micheaux, and in 1920 she joined another pioneering black actress, Anita Bush, in Bush's Lafayette Players theatrical troupe. One of the actors in the troupe was Edward Thompson, and he and Preer married four years later. In addition to the Lafayette Players, Preer played the lead in a Broadway production of "Salome" and starred in productions by famed Broadway impresario David Belasco, among others. She was an accomplished singer and made records on which she was backed by such musical icons as Duke Ellington. She appeared in a few comedy shorts for producer Al Christie and made her feature sound debut in a low-budget independent musical, Georgia Rose (1930).
Her career was tragically cut short in 1932 when she died of double pneumonia due to post-partum complications after the birth of her daughter, Edeve.- Catherine Noisette was one of Oscar Micheaux's beautiful and most glamorous actress. She was one of Oscar Micheaux's leading ladies in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Catherine starred in "Wages of Sin," "The Daughter of Congo," and "The Exile." She usually played the femme fatale, the vamp, the snooty gossip queen. She always added wit and charm to her characters, she never overdid her roles, she was always classy, savvy, and alluring on screen. She was the most enjoyable even in minor roles, (sometime the most interesting of all the cast) even if her role was small she always made it into something memorable.
Catherine Noisette always received favorable reviews for her performances. She had all the makings of an actress. She could have became a more popular actress but the problems in her personal life stagnated her acting career. She led a reckless, tragic life, that always got her on the front page news even way after her movie career ended. In 1935 at the age of 29, she passed away from complications of mental illness and tuberculosis. She was married to a Noisette at the time of her movie career and at the time of her death she was married to another man. - Actress
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Fredi Washington was a pioneering African-American actress whose fair skin and green eyes often were impediments to her showing her extraordinary acting skills. Her talent was often overlooked because of people's obsession with her race and color. In the few films in which she acted her enormous talent as an actress couldn't be hidden.
Her first film performance was with Duke Ellington in a musical short, Black and Tan (1929), as a dancer. In Hollywood she was urged to "pass" for fully white by studio heads, who said they would make her a bigger star than Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Constance Bennett and Greta Garbo. Fredi refused. Her best-known role was as the original Peola, in the controversial film Imitation of Life (1934). She appeared with Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones (1933) and in a few other films with her skin darkened. Her best work was on the stage, notably in "Mamba's Daughters" with Ethel Waters. Fredi never made it to the top like her contemporaries Waters, Josephine Baker, and Nina Mae McKinney because she didn't look "black" enough. But Fredi had what it took, as is more than evident in the few films that she did do.
Her best work was as an activist. She was the head of the Negro Actors Guild, helping black performers get a fair chance in the entertainment industry. Hopefully, people who discover her work today will see her beauty and talent shine through and look beyond her skin color, unlike most people of her time.- Actress
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Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, MO, in 1906 to Carrie McDonald, a laundress, and Eddie Carson, a musician. Her early life hinted at her future career. She first danced for the public on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and dimes. Later she became a chorus girl on the St. Louis stage. At age 15 she married Pullman porter William Howard Baker, but left him when she ran away from St. Louis at age 17, feeling there was too much racial discrimination in the city. She eventually made her way to Paris, France. Her first job in Paris was in "La revue negre". Her next significant job was at the Folies Bergere, where she was a member of the club's all-black revue. It was there, in 1925, that she first performed her famous "banana dance". She quickly became a favorite of the French, and her fame grew, but she had many ups and downs during her career. Although popular in France, during the "Red Scare" era of the 1950s, she was falsely accused of being a Communist and informed that she was no longer welcome in the US (in 1937 she had renounced her American citizenship, utterly disgusted by the blatant and official racism against blacks, and became a French citizen).
In 1961 Josephine was awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest award. In the late 1960s she began having financial difficulties, and stopped performing in 1968. Grace Kelly, who by that time had married Prince Rainier of Monaco and was now known as Princess Grace of Monaco, offered her a home in Monaco when she learned of Josephine's financial problems. At the request of Princess Grace, Josephine performed at Monaco's summer ball in 1974 and was a great success. That same year she staged a week of performances in New York City and called the show "An Evening with Josephine Baker". She had just begun a Paris revue celebrating her half-century on the stage when on April 10, 1975, she was stricken with a cerebral hemorrhage and went into a coma. She died without regaining consciousness. Her funeral was held in Paris, and she was buried in Monaco.- The name Mildred Washington isn't remembered but she appeared in under 15 films in small parts but her presence, finesse, beauty and vivacious personality wasn't small. Mildred was a beautiful, curvaceous, popular Black actress and dancer in the 1920s and 1930s. She started on the stage appearing in musicals for many years and later conquered California nightclubs and theaters becoming a full-fledged, substantial, popular entertainer who was called the sensation of the West. She was headliner and dance director for many years at the legendary Sebastian's Cotton Club. Mildred was the ultimate performer; she was a skilled dancer who knew how to wow a crowd and amaze them with her great dance and lively stage presence as is seen in the Hollywood movies she appeared in. On the side she appeared in Hollywood films because it was her dream to be in movies. Her beauty and outgoing personality helped her into movies like many white females. Mildred had an magnetic charm that couldn't be overlooked on stage and screen. Mildred introduced a new image of Blacks, she wasn't the common homely, sad, blue, and unintelligible type, Mildred was gorgeous, fun-loving, spoke intelligently, had poise and though sexy she was quite dainty and winsome.
In Hollywood Mildred played the role of a maid in the pre-code era which meant Mildred wasn't forced to be demeaning or stereotyped. In the pre-code era, there were no rules, Blacks had more to do outside the stereotype and most importantly was apart of the films they appeared in not just a maid or servant thrown in. Mildred added her own winning personality, sense of humor and spark; she simply glowed on screen. She entertained her white employees when they were down and out, educated them on life, and lifted their spirits. Mildred was one of the few, very few, beautiful black women who played the maid roles, she wasn't overweight or homely but beautiful, engaging, and scintillating, often stealing attention in scenes from leading white stars because of her beauty, talent and sex appeal. Her persona was certainly in the same fashion as Clara Bow, Alice White, and Jean Harlow. Though, Mildred had little to do on screen in a few of her movies, she still took advantage of getting herself recognized. Her maid costumes was just that...a costume, it didn't define her or her talent and that's what the black community loved about her. Mildred got fan mail, requests for her autographed photo, and she was featured in many leading black publications and newspapers. Whether Hollywood wanted her to be a stereotype or not is not the question, she took it upon her own initiative to present herself the way she wanted and she took her roles seriously and presented them the best she thought would entertain the public. "Hearts in Dixie" was one of the first black cast films made in Hollywood where Mildred co-starred, Mildred was said to have gave an excellent performance, the reviews were in Mildred's favor but sadly the film is believed to be lost. Her best role was in "Torch Singer" starring Claudette Colbert, in which she played a maid/confidante to Colbert. In this particular film she showed her awesome versatility and sincerity, where she went from dramatic to comedic naturally in good timing and she did some hot dancing. She was just marvelous in her role that you would forget she was suppose to be a maid, sometimes Mildred forgot, because she made her roles significant by being an actress not a maid.
Mildred was an highly educated and cultured woman, she graduated from Los Angeles High School where she was an honor graduate and valedictorian. She had two years at the University of California at Los Angeles and also studied at Columbia University. She could speak fluent Spanish and French. Mildred chose being an entertainer and actress as her career but her education was always there to fall back on. Off screen she lived well, she dabbled in real estate and one of the few black movie stars who made enough to own a big, beautiful home in which she had a maid working for her. Mildred was truly a Renaissance Black woman and a new kind of Black woman who didn't let anyone hold her back. Mildred was on her way to becoming a full-time actress and studio heads were very satisfied with her previous work and beauty but it was her untimely death in late 1933 that stalled her escalating screen career. During an major earthquake in the spring of 1933, Mildred developed appendicitis when she fell running for cover from Graumans Chinese Theatre. Her death was caused by peritonitis following appendicitis, she died on a Thursday afternoon at the White Memorial Hospital during surgery. She was 28 years old. Her funeral was a star- studded one with many black and white stage and screen stars. - Daisy Bufford was born on 20 April 1913 in Franklin, Louisiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Love on Toast (1937), Forgotten Faces (1936) and Sophie Lang Goes West (1937). She died on 18 December 1987 in Contra Costa County, California, USA.
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In addition to her vocal dubbing and on-screen film credits, Etta Moten played the role of Bess in the 1943 revival of "Porgy and Bess" at the personal request of Ira Gershwin (not George, who had died in 1937). Etta and husband Claude Barnett, founder of the Negro Associated Press, served as US representatives to the independence celebrations of Ghana and several other African countries. Also a radio journalist, Etta interviewed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after the ceremonies in Ghana on March 6, 1957, and conducted her own radio show for WMAQ/NBC in Chicago for many years.- Actress
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Theresa Harris appeared with more stars of the Golden Era of Hollywood than anyone else. She sang, she danced, she appeared in movies and TV. She graced the screen with her magnetic presence and most times stole scenes from the top stars of the day every chance she got and made a lot of dull films worthwhile. Although stereotyped by receiving only maid roles, Theresa stepped outside the stereotype any chance she got, to show she was glamorous, classy, beautiful, and a true actress. While she often played maids, she always showed dignity, grace, and demanded respect. Theresa didn't exactly fit the mammy/maid stereotype fore she was a petite beauty, a stark contrast from Louise Beavers and Hattie McDaniel, and Theresa was one of the very few black women to not fit that stereotype on screen.
There were quite a few movies in which Theresa got a chance to let her light shine and make you forget her maid costume and see her as a talented actress. In the pre-Code classic Baby Face (1933), she and Barbara Stanwyck had equal screentime, which was rare between black and white actors at that time. Playing Chico, Stanwyck's friend and co-worker, Harris gave a moving and memorable performance that contributed to the film becoming one of the essentials of the classic genre. Theresa was allowed to be sexy, glamorous, and her own person, not simply a servant who jumped at her employer's every beck and call, a rarity for a black actress in a maid part in the 1930s, and a true friendship was shared between Stanwyck and Harris' characters, another rarity. In Professional Sweetheart (1933), Harris played a spunky, sexy maid who teaches Ginger Rogers a thing or two about being "hot", and ends up replacing Rogers as a singer, singing a hot song on the radio that turns on the white male listeners, another shocker and rarity at the time for a black actress. But pre-Code movies usually pushed the envelope, which shows in both 'Baby Face' and 'Professional Sweetheart'. Though Theresa played maid roles most of her movie career, she had showed moments of excellence in many other films such as Hold Your Man (1933), Black Moon (1934), Gangsters on the Loose (1937), Jezebel (1938), The Toy Wife (1938), Tell No Tales (1939), Buck Benny Rides Again (1940), Love Thy Neighbor (1940), Blossoms in the Dust (1941), Cat People (1942), and I Walked with a Zombie (1943), among others.
Theresa was a versatile talent; besides acting, she could sing beautifully and dance divinely, when she had the chance in such movies as Thunderbolt (1929), 'Baby Face', 'Professional Sweetheart', Banjo on My Knee (1936), 'Buck Benny Rides Again', What's Buzzin', Cousin? (1943), and The French Line (1953). When Theresa got the chance to show her beauty and sex appeal, it was often with her screen boyfriend, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson; they were dynamic on screen together in 'Buck Benny Rides Again' and 'What's Buzzin', Cousin?'. In the former, they sing and dance tap, classical, Spanish, and swing in a musical number, "My, My".
Theresa Harris was perhaps the hardest-working woman in Hollywood, appearing in close to 90 films, working at every major studio with most of the big stars. She was respected by studio executives, producers, directors, and co-workers alike, who sometimes went out of their way to get her more lines and screentime. Harris married a doctor and retired from the movies in the late 1950s, living comfortably after having carefully invested the money she made during her career in the films. She was a patient woman who never gave up hope that there would come a time when she would be able to play more than just maid parts. Nevertheless, in every role, she displayed class, dignity, beauty, and true acting talent, not simply the old stereotypes associated with black actors at that time.- Gorgeous and reserved actress and dancer Mildred Boyd had a three decade movie career, starting in the 1920s in silents to the 1950s she graced the screen with her modest but illuminating, youthful presence whether in bit parts or dancing parts. Mildred Boyd is another unsung black performer and actress who goes uncredited in the history of entertainment and movie history, though she has contributed her talent and beauty to many films, some where she had gone uncredited, her warm presence was always a contribution to any film. Mildred was born in Tennessee and came to Los Angeles, California either during her teens or early 20s where she became a chorus girl at one of the premier black nightclubs on the West Coast, The Sebastian's Cotton Club, where she danced for many years and on the side she did movie work. Like girls of all races, pretty Mildred wanted to be in pictures, with the few roles offered to blacks being that of maids, Mildred played maid roles but played those roles with dignity, offering other admirable characteristics to the roles like her beauty, charm, and refinement, not only did she play maid roles, she contributed her dancing talents to Hollywood films that had black musical numbers and she danced as well in L.A. Black Cinema/Race films that had musical numbers and also doubled as an extra in those films. In some of the race films Mildred got a chance to really act where she proved herself a classy, demure actress without the maid costume. In the mid-1940s, she performed in quite a few soundies, she also starred in a soundie dancing with another female partner titled "Mildred and Bow" where Mildred showed her boogie talent. There were a few Hollywood films, such as "I Love a Bandleader" and film noir classic "Out of the Past" where Mildred got a chance to come out of the maid roles and give impressive performances as a true actress playing someone from all walks of life.
In the 1950s, Mildred retired from show business and along with it overlooked and forgotten in the field of entertainment, Golden Era Cinema, and black entertainment history. - In the 1920s and 1930s Ethel Moses was one of the most popular Harlem performer. Then she became the most popular, most recognizable, most beloved actress of Black cinema in the late 1930s and even to this day. Ethel Moses was what you might call a Harlem star. She was apart of the Golden Era of Harlem and during her tenure on the stage she was called "One of the Most Beautiful Women in America". She was also voted "The Most Beautiful Girl on Stage," and Ethel was also voted "The Most Shapely Dancer." Ethel Moses started her career in the mid 1920s, she became a popular chorine dancing in popular Black Broadway Shows, "Shuffle Along," "Keep Shuffling," and "Showboat." Ethel entertained at Harlem's most popular nightclubs, The Cotton Club, Connie's Inn and Ubangi Club. Then Ethel Moses went on to become a popular feature dancer. She danced with Cab Calloway's band; she even was in a few shorts with Cab, the first was "Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Ho" filmed at the Cotton Club. Ethel is one of the ladies that Cab sings "The Lady with the Fan" to and then Ethel was in "Cab Calloway's Jitterbug Party." Ethel then danced and traveled with Lucky Millander's band around the world, mostly abroad, and wowed audiences with her grace in dancing and her beauty. Then Ethel Moses became an actress; never a Hollywood actress but she was apart of American cinema just the same. She was better then Black actresses in Hollywood because through Black Cinema Ethel got to be versatile and play roles of people from all walks of life without a stereotype. Ethel got her start in Legendary filmmaker Oscar Micheaux's films. Micheaux was very fortunate to get Ethel Moses to star in his films, Ethel was popular, she was name value, she could draw people to his films and that's exactly what she did. Ethel Moses brought beauty, loveliness, graciousness and mystery to Oscar Micheaux films, just the same as she did on stage, which helped take the minds off of the sometime offensive work of Micheaux's. Ethel truly became a movie star through Micheaux's films. Ethel's first starring role was in "Temptation," premiered at the Howard Theater around 1936 or 1937, at opening night, 5,000 people mobbed Ethel to get a glimpse of the Bronze Venus (as she was called in the film) and to get an autograph. A police escort aided Ethel in getting through the crowds after giving an interview.
Ethel Moses was billed as "The Black Jean Harlow" while in movies because of her resemblance to the white star. Ethel went on to star in other important films of Oscar Micheaux's like Underworld, God's Stepchildren, Birthright, and other black independent films, "Policy Man," "Harlem Mania," and "Gone Harlem." What made Ethel Moses a movie star and so likable was she brought warmth, sincerity, naturalness, charisma, and mysterious to the screen. Ethel in a way was like America's Sweetheart who could do no wrong. Most actresses as curvaceous and gorgeous as Ethel usually played seductresses and Femme Fatales but not Ethel. Ethel always portrayed the long-suffering good girl who always finds herself in trouble but always prevailed. She also portrayed the stand-by-her-man type. Ethel was like a Greta Garbo, she had mystique and without a spoken word, her face could tell a story. Ethel's screen and stage image was sexy but innocent, mysterious, warm, and alluring. Ethel never had to do much to receive attention. Ethel was something the black community needed at the time because Ethel dispelled the myths that black women were hard, cold-hearted, and fast, among other stereotypes. Ethel always had class and a heart of gold that anyone would love and enjoy.
In her time Ethel Moses was very popular and both the black and white newspapers raved about her. She always received wonderful reviews with her dancing and acting. The only bad publicity Ethel received was in 1939, when the German Bund Meeting was at the Madison Square Garden, Ethel and others were escorted out by police because of their protesting against the Nazis gathering but Ethel wasn't looked down upon, she was actually applauded for protesting. By the beginning of the 1940s, Ethel retired from show business but her contributions to Harlem, Black Cinema, American Cinema and Black history hasn't been overlooked. - Dorothy Van Engle was Oscar Micheaux's most beautiful and talented actress, and he used her in most of his important films: Harlem After Midnight (1934), Murder in Harlem (1935), God's Step Children (1938) and Swing! (1938). She was a favorite of black audiences and her beauty and natural, sophisticated acting took audiences' minds off the sometimes offending--and offensive--work of Micheaux. WIth Van Engle he saw he had a new star, someone who could bring something new and fresh to his movies. Dorothy Van Engle was a fine actress, providing a new image of a black woman on screen, one that had never been seen on the screen before, and seldom afterward. She often played intelligent, insightful, down-to-earth women, women who were always "ladies" because Van Engle was one herself. She didn't act "black", everything she did wasn't "black"; she acted like a fully-rounded human being.
As an actress she got to play women from all walks of life, not just stereotypical "black" characters, and she made you dismiss the race and look at the character, but her pride in her race was obvious. Many black actresses of today could do themselves a favor by watching her. Van Engle didn't have to do much because her face could tell the story. In all her movies she was always watchable. However, when Micheaux stopped making films at the beginning of the 1940s, Dorothy Van Engle disappeared. Nothing was heard about or from her until her death.
Anyone who sees Dorothy Van Engle is taken by her beauty and naturalness and wants to know more about her. She had the sophistication and classiness of Myrna Loy, the coolness of Kay Francis and a perfect face you'll never forget; put them all together and you had Dorothy Van Engle. She was a part of the "Golden Era" of black films and, most importantly, filmmaking, and will not be forgotten. Dorothy Van Engle surely belongs on top as one of the most beautiful women of the screen alongside Hedy Lamarr, Linda Darnell and Gene Tierney. Lena Horne often is credited as the first black lady of the screen, but Dorothy Van Engle really was. She brought beauty, class and intelligence to the image of black women on screen and introduced it to the world. - Actress
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Edna Mae Harris was one of the best actresses of the Black race in the 1930s and 1940s. She starred in some of the best all black cast independently produced movies in the 1930s and 1940s. An attractive woman who had a soulful voice, personality, sex appeal, she was a triple threat to show business, for she could sing, dance, and act. She was the personification of an Harlem performer, sexy, vivacious, alive, hot and full of life. Edna found fame by playing in the stage and screen version of The Green Pastures (1936) as Zeba. Naturally audiences loved her, and she received glorious reviews. So it was no surprised when Hollywood asked her to repeat her role on screen and she repeated getting wonderful acclaim. During the Black Cinema, Edna Mae was very much in demand starring in some of the top black movies Spirit of Youth (1938), Paradise in Harlem (1939), Sunday Sinners (1940), The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940), and Tall, Tan, and Terrific (1946), showing her excellent acting skills in drama and comedy. Edna Mae Harris got to tell her story in her later years in the documentary, Midnight Ramble (1994), about independently produced black films.- Actress
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Born in 1916 in Chicago, Jeni Le Gon trained at Mary Bruce's School of Dancing and performed as a chorus girl, later in vaudeville, from age 16. In Hollywood she appeared in her debut film, Hooray for Love (1935), as dancing partner of the great Bill Robinson. Though primarily a dancer, Jeni sang well and was an appealing, attractive light actress when (rarely) given the chance. In Hollywood films 1935-49, her earlier appearances were in specialty dance numbers; later, as with most black stars of the time, in servant roles. In the forties, Jeni played leads or second leads in at least 5 independently produced all-black cast films. She appeared on the New York stage periodically (playing leads in all-black productions) and later managed the Dance and Drama Playhouse in Los Angeles. After guest appearances on "Amos 'N' Andy" (1951) she faded from public view.- Actress
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Vivian Dandridge was born on 22 April 1921 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935), Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat (1941) and Brown Sugar (1986). She was married to Gustav Friedrich, Ralph Bledsoe, Jack Montgomery and Warren Bracken. She died on 26 October 1991 in Seattle, Washington, USA.- Louise Franklin was a gorgeous, winsome lady full of sex appeal and charm who graced the movie screen and stages from the 1930s to the 1950s. She was a popular California chorus girl, dancer, and actress who appeared in popular nightclubs, soundies, race films, and black musical numbers featured in Hollywood films. She was a wonderful, vibrant dancer full of grace whose talent in dancing varied. No film was complete without Louise's presence, if she wasn't dancing in films, she was acting in them. She was an extra and dancer in most of all the California-based race films and in Hollywood films she had various roles, most of which weren't stereotypical. In the film "I Love a Bandleader," Louise played a non-stereotypical role as a sexy elevator operator who Eddie Rochester flirts and sings to. In the short scene there was no denying her beauty, sex appeal, and charm; she had all the makings of a star.
Louise was one of many beautiful, ambitious black actresses who were denied fame and fortune in Hollywood and were only offered stereotypical roles but Louise, like many others, did the best with the roles she was offered by playing her roles with class. Louise danced in legendary films, "Cabin In The Sky" and "Stormy Weather," and appeared in many Lena Horne's musicals. She was also a featured dancer in Duke Ellington's Jump For Joy and many other stage shows.
In the black community, Louise Franklin was regarded as one of the most popular beauties. She received publicity and notoriety in the black press. She appeared on the cover of Jet magazine and in other popular black magazines showcasing her beauty. By the mid-1950s Louise retired from show business. - Actress
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Gorgeous, versatile Marguerite Whitten (aka Margaret Whitten) was a wonderful, natural actress of "the golden era" of Hollywood and of black cinema. She had a sweet, likable presence on screen and her performances were always enjoyable. Margaret was a fine actress, never having to overact to express herself. She always became her character, mind, heart and soul.
She was one of many black actresses who introduced a different image of black women in movies--sophisticated, intelligent, elegant, graceful and sweet. She appeared in many "A"-grade black movies, then known as "race" films. She gave excellent performances in Spirit of Youth (1938), Two-Gun Man from Harlem (1938), _Mystery In Swing (1940)_ and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), films that were popular with black audiences because it had black actors and actresses playing characters from all walks of life. She was always a lovely, appealing leading lady to her leading men, such as Joe Louis, Herb Jeffries, Monte Hawley and Mantan Moreland.
In "mainstream" Hollywood movies, Margaret sometimes had to play the stereotypical roles black performers were usually limited to, but because of her skill and talent she took your mind off the stereotyped character and made you see her as the fine actress she was, and even though the part may have been meant to degrade her or her people, she changed it to something that didn't. In Way Down South (1939) Margaret had a small but significant part. She gave a touching performance as a slave in love with another slave, with both facing being sold and separated. She gave a memorable and moving performance; without a spoken word in some scenes she let her face tell the story and made you feel along with her.
She was a wonderful singer and dancer, which she got to display in a few films. The warmth in her voice, gestures and eyes never cease to be overlooked. Margaret was always magnetic, extremely charming and charismatic, which always helped her steal scenes. Once you see her you'll never forget her.
Margaret Whitten is truly one of the unsung black actresses who contributed to her race and Black and Hollywood cinema, and she deserves much more recognition than she's gotten. Margaret was always an actress and never a stereotype.- Actress
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Francine Everett, who was called the most beautiful woman in Harlem and one of the most beautiful actresses to appear on screen. She became a familiar face with black audiences through the race films, now known as Black Cinema. She was one of the few who became a movie star through Black Cinema and could call themselves a true actress. Blacks could relate to the beauty because despite her roles, she maintained a down to earthness about her, warmth and was attainable more so than Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge who in Hollywood movies developed aloofness and had to please white audiences more so than Blacks and had to let go of some of the black image. The films in Black Cinema may have been low-budgeted but Francine's performances surely weren't, she gave her all in films, as though they were Hollywood movies. Francine didn't have a lot of directions in her movies but being the true actress she was, she didn't need much direction to give a stellar performance.
When she wasn't acting, she was in soundies, singing or dancing, it's said she appeared in over a 100. She modeled clothes and hairstyles for print ads, magazines and newspapers. Also she sang in nightclubs, her lovely singing voice possess soul, allure, and charm which she also showcased in many movies. She was also quite a dancer, dancing in a dance group called The Four Black Cats that traveled the U.S. Her stage appearances included, Humming Sam and Swing It which were both very popular shows on Broadway.
Francine started in show business at a young age. She studied and acted with the Federal Theater in Harlem, which was sponsored by the Works Progress Administration. She married legendary actor 'Rex Ingram' i who gained fame in his starring role on screen in "Green Pastures." It's been said Francine was offered the role of one of the angels but turned it down mainly because it was stereotyped.
Francine appeared in the most important films of Black Cinema, the ones that could be called a true movie. She appeared in Paradise in Harlem (1939), 'Keep Punching (1939), Big Timers (1945),"Stars on Parade," '_Tall, Tan, and Terrific' (1946)_, '_Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A.' (1946)_, '_Ebony Parade' (1947)_ (which also starred Dorothy Dandridge) and its been said she appeared in 2 Hollywood movies, "Lost Boundaries" and 'No Way Out (1950).
In "Paradise In Harlem," Francine shone brighter than any in the cast when she gave a compelling performance doing Shakespeare by portraying Desdemona. Francine was fantastic as the woman who pleads/sings for her life to be spared.
She only appeared in a few films but substantial films where she showed versatility and talent and proves why she's one of the best black actresses in history. She's done more in her few films than most have done in many films.
Hollywood surely wanted Francine, but first Hollywood felt Francine should pay her dues by playing maid roles first, which she refused. She didn't want to play stereotypes when she could play roles suited for an actress in Black Cinema.- Actress
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Sexy comedienne Florence O'Brien stole many a scenes with her sassy, brassy comedy, much in the same way as Una Merkel, Patsy Kelly and Clara Bow. Her comedic talent was seen on screen in such independent black films as Double Deal (1939), Lucky Ghost (1942), While Thousands Cheer (1940), Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1941), Stormy Weather (1943) and others. She was one of the very few non stereotypical black comedians of her time. She brought smiles to audiences' faces with her presence, whether it was a big or small part, and became popular film favorite in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and still makes people smile today.- African American actress Juanita Moore entered films in the early 1950s, a time in which few black people were given an opportunity to act in major studio films. Fortunately Moore's roles began improving as Hollywood developed a social consciousness toward the end of the decade. In 1959 she received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Imitation of Life (1959), a glossy updating of a once controversial Fannie Hurst novel about racism. Within the next decade Hollywood underwent several sociological upheavals, and Juanita was one of the beneficiaries. She became a fixture in black-oriented films of the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in such films as Uptight (1968), Thomasine & Bushrod (1974) and Abby (1974). She also appeared in Walt Disney Pictures' The Kid (2000), and was in a total of more than 50 films. Moore retired in 2001 and passed away New Year's Day 2014 . She was 99.
- Suzette Harbin won a beauty contest which gained the way for a movie career. Suzette started out appearing in many Hollywood films that had African American musical numbers, she either sang, danced, or just looked pretty. She also appeared in the iconic films, Cabin in the Sky (1943), (where she had a speaking part, close-ups, and danced), and she also danced in Stormy Weather (1943). She often appeared in Lena Horne's musical numbers. She also danced and sang in Duke Ellington's Jump for Joy musical. Suzette may be more recognizable for her roles in The Foxes of Harrow (1947), Look-Out Sister (1947), and Bomba and the Jungle Girl (1952). She became a star through the movie "The Foxes of Harrow," her wonderful performance in the controversial film made her a movie star. She played the role of a beautiful slave girl who would rather die than bring her child up in slavery. She was praised for being the first to play such a role and not be stereotypical. Her versatility, magnetic presence, and trademark million dollar smile always won over audiences and gained her commendable roles on stage and screen.
Suzette's many performances in films and stage elevated her to star status. She appeared on the covers of Jet magazine and in many black newspapers of the day. To add to her list of achievements, Suzette entertained the GIs in Korea in the early 1950s. She was considered a rivalry for Marilyn Monroe who also performed for the GIs, though Monroe received more publicity. It was Suzette who the GIs gave a bigger applause to and came out in greater numbers. - Actress
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Gorgeous, vivacious, glamour girl Millie Monroe was another black beauty that contributed her talent and beauty to films but didn't get the fair chance she so deserved in films. Millie Monroe was a California based dancer, singer, and actress who appeared in many Hollywood and race films in the 1940s. Because of her striking resemblance to Lena Horne, Millie was chosen to be a stand-in for Lena in Cabin in the Sky. Millie also performed in Duke Ellington's stage production of "Jump for Joy," a sensational musical that included many at the time would be legends performers like Dorothy Dandridge and Herb Jeffries.- Actress
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Doris Ake was born on 31 August 1916 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Up Jumped the Devil (1941). She died on 5 October 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Avanelle Harris was born on 18 February 1917 in Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for Up Jumped the Devil (1941) and Lucky Ghost (1942). She died on 5 February 2014 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
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Maggie Mae Hathaway was quite a lady, who had many talents, and in her every conquest she left a memorable mark. Maggie isn't as well-known as Lena Horne or Dorothy Dandridge, and she's been overlooked by movie historians and history books, but she definitely did her part by contributing her talent and beauty to Hollywood and helping in opening the doors for black actors and actress.
Maggie usually portrayed sassy, witty, sexy ladies on screen. In her small parts on screen, she shined, her spunk was undeniable. She played a maid in a Warner Brothers musical short, "Quiet, Please!" where she did a hot jitterbug dance. She was a dancer in The Marx Brothers "At The Circus." She appeared in "Cabin In The Sky," during the cabaret scene, she was memorable for her sexy walk into the cabaret. In "Stormy Weather," she was a stand-in for Lena Horne. In most of all her film appearances, whether she had a small part or non-speaking part, her presence was always magnetic.
Maggie also was a singer who wrote and recorded blues and jazz records in the late 1940's.
Maggie is probably more memorable for being an activist for civil and equal rights. She often fought hard and long for the rights and inclusion of people of color, not only in entertainment, but in the community, and even in sports, specifically golf. She has a golf course named in her honor in Los Angeles, California. She also was the founder of the NAACP Image Awards. She also was a writer for the Los Angeles Sentinel.- Gorgeous Josephine Edwards was the singing and acting sensation in the entertaining race film/Black Cinema movie, "Mystery In Swing." She gave a great performance as one of the scorned lovers of a playboy trumpet player, she witnesses the murder of her lover, and before she condemn the murderer, she is murdered after singing her swan song. Josephine stole the movie with her emotional, heartfelt singing of the beautiful song "You Can't Fool Yourself About Love," and finishing it with a little swing dancing. She appeared in another race film playing Mantan Moreland's daughter in "One Dark Night" but that film is presumed lost.
Josephine was a nightclub dancer and singer in the 1930s and 1940s. She and her husband Frog Edwards had a dance team for several years performing at such places as the legendary Creole Palace in San Diego for many years. Josephine had the beauty, singing and acting talent, and screen presence, had times been different, she definitely would had become a huge star of stage and screen, but because of her race she was denied the opportunity. Hopefully more info will surface on this great beauty and great talent. - Attractive Sybil Lewis was one of the best, most convincing actresses of Black Cinema. Her sophisticated, sometimes snooty presence was one of many but her more popular approach to acting always worked whether in drama, straight, romance or comedy roles and always remained likable. Sybil's acting would remind one of a Rosalind Russell or even Bette Davis. She was able to adapt to any role and make a film worth watching even if she was the only one acting. Her training and natural touch to acting, gave those films substantiality. "Mystery In Swing," "Broken Strings," "Am I Guilty?," "Midnight Menace," "Lucky Gamblers," "Boy! What a Girl!," and "Miracle in Harlem," are Black Cinema films where Sybil and others got to be a real actress, not a "Black" actress but actress without a label or stereotype and she got to play roles of people from all walks of life unlike Blacks in Hollywood. Even in Hollywood movies, "Revenge of the Zombies," "Going My Way," and "The Very Thought of You," Sybil had a chance to use her acting skills and not be stereotyped too much because of her race.
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Pretty Tomiwitta Moore, who shortened her name to Tommie Moore was the bright, sweet, girl next door ingénue of Black Cinema. She was small in size but had a big presence on screen. To look at her in her early films, Tommie, looked like a young teenage girl but she was really an adult woman in her early twenties but her petite size and babyface looks could fool you and her looks often worked in her favor because she could play a teenage girl, a little sister or a little, vivacious woman. Tommie Moore was a fine actress who had personality, charm, and vitality, she displayed these qualities in the best of the Black Cinema films. In films "Gangsters on the Loose," "Broken Strings," and "Mystery In Swing," Tommie never disappointed. In these films, Tommie dominated every scene she was is. She wasn't just someone picked up off the street, she was obviously a trained actress because she showed such grace and professionalism in her roles and performances. She crossed over and into Hollywood films and gave excellent, memorable performances in "Something of Value" which starred Rock Hudson, "Band of Angels" starring Clark Gable and "The Green-Eyed Blonde" and also in TV she appeared in "The Amos 'n Andy Show" and "Bourbon Street Beat."
In the mid-1940s, Moore was also one of the stars in the hit Broadway show "Beggar's Holiday" that had a long successful run. She's one of many unsung talented actresses who deserves much recognition. Most importantly she wasn't just a black actress but an actress able to play anyone from all walks of life. She contributed hugely to American Cinema and particularly Black Cinema, by opening the doors for Black actors and actresses, proving that they could be successful on their own, create their own images, and be able to be talented without any labels or stereotypes. Tommie Moore was certainly a delight, she was a black actress who displayed a rare image that hasn't been seen much, her warmth, charisma, sweet nature and genuine qualities within herself and what she contributed to her acting makes her an unforgettable talent. proving good things do come in small packages.- Actress
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Izenetta Tears was born in Austin, Texas, the daughter of a funeral director and a schoolteacher; she was named for her paternal grandmother. A 1936 graduate of Wiley College, she pursued further study in New York City at Juilliard, and also briefly taught school in Austin before marrying Eddie Wilcox, saxophonist in the Jimmy Lunceford Band. After her divorce, she was a featured performer in nightclubs and other venues in and around the metropolitan New York City area. She is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Austin, near her parents and other family members.- Actress
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Delicate beauty Ida James was a sweet, honey-voiced singer whose singing could rival the birds. She gained popularity in the 1940s for her beauty, high, bird-like voice, grace, and glamour. She was the definition of daintiness and winsomeness. She gained stardom by singing her trademark song, "Shoo Shoo Baby," and from then on, she was always known as and billed as "The Shoo Shoo Baby" and "The Shoo Shoo Girl." Her recognition came by singing with Nat 'King' Cole, and they both popularized the song "Is You Is, Or Is Not My Baby," which they sang in a musical short together. She sang with various popular trios and bands with which she recorded. In 1945, she was voted by music fans as one of the top twenty popular vocalists in America. As an actress, she was very convincing, her first screen appearance was in The Devil's Daughter (1939) where she gave a watchable performance, demonstrating that she could be a fine actress, given the chance. Several years later, she appeared in Hi De Ho (1947) with Cab Calloway, where she gave another good performance, and in between, she did quite a few musical shorts. She appeared in leading Black magazines and print ads of the time as well. Ida James was always a likable presence on stage and screen, irresistibly pleasing to the eyes and to the ears.- Emily Santos was one of the most beautiful showgirls, chorus girls, and models in the late 1930s and 1940s during the Golden Era of Harlem. She was a tall beauty who had poise, class, and allure that was so noticeable even in extra parts in the Black Cinema films she appeared in. Her beauty always got her mentioned in the black newspapers of the time and like most beauties, her beauty got her into movies. She appeared in 3 race films, the first being "Keep Punching" she was one of the beauty contestant in a beauty contest in the nightclub scene, she was the first beauty who alluring looks into the camera and turns and looks over her shoulder, the second film "Sunday Sinners," Emily was an noticeable extra in different scenes and she also was one of the chorus girls in a dance number, the third film "Murder on Lenox Avenue," Emily finally got a real part, a part with more to do, in the film she showed she was more then just a gorgeous face, she played a nose in the air, sort of snooty, wanna be more then what she was showgirl and in the role she also showed comedic flair. "Murder on Lenox Avenue" was surprisingly her last film. Since there wasn't much movie work for black actresses in Hollywood, especially ones who didn't fit the stereotypical image, Emily wouldn't have had much of a chance, but through race films she was able to display her beauty and her acting abilities for the world.
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In the 1940s, strikingly beautiful Kathleen Hartsfield was a model and movie dancer in Cabin in the Sky (1943), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), Stormy Weather (1943), and Broadway Rhythm (1944). She appeared as a dancer in two of Lena Horne's biggest movies, "Cabin In The Sky" and "Stormy Weather," both films gave many African American women a chance to shine, and Kathleen was one of them. In "Cabin In The Sky," Kathleen was a dancer in the cabaret scene, and in "Stormy Weather," Kathleen was a dancer and hatcheck girl in the early nightclub scene, where she has a few minutes of close-ups while checking Bill Robinson's hat. Kathleen also appeared as a dancer in a Lena Horne number "Brazilian Boogie" in the movie "Broadway Rhythm." She definitely had the beauty, personality, and talent to become a movie star.- Actress
Tall, statuesque beauty Juliette Ball was one of the many gorgeous starlets of the 1930's and 1940's who had dreams of movie stardom. Juliette Ball worked in films as a dancer in "Cabin In The Sky," "Stormy Weather," and "Broadway Rhythm." She appeared as a dancer and extra in a few Lena Horne films and specialty numbers.
Juliette Ball also worked as a model. She also was a good friend of Dorothy Dandridge.- Actress
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Beautiful multi-talented Sheila Guyse was a popular, well-loved figure on the stage and screen of the Dorothy Dandridge era. Some critics even felt she was a better actress than Dandridge, some said if Sheila ever decided to go to Hollywood, she would give her a run for her money. She appeared in three independent black films, "Boy, What A Girl", "Sepia Cinderella" and "Miracle In Harlem" giving magnificent performances in all of them.
Guyse wasn't an experienced or trained actress but you never know it. She appeared in many stage productions such as "Lost in the Stars" and "Finian's Rainbow" which were both long-running. Her singing voice was as beautiful as she was, divine, sweet, easy on the ears whether singing jazz, pop, or gospel.
Very popular in the 1940s and 1950s, Sheila graced many covers of magazines like Jet, Ebony, Our World and many others, reviews were always flattering.- Statuesque beauty Artie Young was one of the premier dancers of her day. From the late 1930's to the 1950's, no show was complete without Artie's beauty and divine dancing.
Artie was a popular nightclub and stage dancer in California. She was a dancer in Duke Ellington's revue "Jump For Joy" (1941), where she received rave reviews for her jungle dance. She appeared in Hollywood films only as a dancer. In "Carolina Blues," "Stormy Weather," "Broadway Rhythm" and "Skirts Ahoy," her beauty and graceful moves were a great addition to the musical numbers.
In Stormy Weather (1943) in the scene "I Can't Give You Anything But Love,", she was memorable as one of the beautiful front dancers. A publicity photo that has been reprinted in many film history books, from that scene features her with Lena Horne and Bill Robinson.
Artie is probably most memorable for being cast as the girlfriend of two 1939 westerns starring Herb Jeffries, namely The Bronze Buckaroo (1939) and Harlem Rides the Range (1939). - Actress
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Lena Calhoun Horne was born June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York. In her biography she stated that, on the day she was born, her father was in the midst of a card game trying to get money to pay the hospital costs. Her parents divorced while she was still a toddler. Her mother left later in order to find work as an actress and Lena was left in the care of her grandparents. When she was seven, her mother returned and the two traveled around the state which meant that Lena was enrolled in numerous schools. For a time she also attended schools in Florida, Georgia and Ohio. Later she returned to Brooklyn.
Lena quit school when she was 14 and got her first stage job at 16 dancing and later singing at the famed Cotton Club in Harlem, a renowned theater in which black performers played before white audiences immortalized in The Cotton Club (1984)). She was in good hands at the club, especially when people such as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington took her under their wings and helped her over the rough spots. Before long, her talent resulted in her playing before packed houses.
If Lena had never made a movie, her music career would have been enough to have ensured her legendary status in the entertainment industry, but films were icing on the cake. After she made an appearance on Broadway, Hollywood came calling. At 21 years of age, Lena made her first film, The Duke Is Tops (1938). It would be four more years before she appeared in another, Panama Hattie (1942), playing a singer in a nightclub. By now Lena had signed with MGM but, unfortunately for her, the pictures were shot so that her scenes could be cut out when they were shown in the South since most theaters in the South refused to show films that portrayed blacks in anything other than subservient roles to whites. Most movie studios did not want to take a chance on losing that particular source of revenue. Lena did not want to appear in those kinds of stereotyped roles and who could blame her?
In 1943, MGM loaned Lena to 20th Century-Fox to play the role of Selina Rogers in the all-black musical Stormy Weather (1943), which did extremely well at the box office. Her rendition of the title song became a major hit on the musical charts. In 1943, she appeared in Cabin in the Sky (1943), regarded by many as one of the finest performances of her career. She played Georgia Brown opposite Ethel Waters and Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson in the all black production. Rumors were rampant that she and Waters just did not get along well, although there was never any mention of the source of the alleged friction. However, that was not the only feud on that picture. Other cast members sniped at one another and it was a wonder the film was made at all. Regardless of the hostilities, the movie was released to very good reviews from the ever tough critics. It went a long way in showing the depth of the talent that existed among black performers in Hollywood, especially Lena.
Lena's musical career flourished, but her movie career stagnated. Minor roles in films such as Boogie-Woogie Dream (1944), Words and Music (1948) and Mantan Messes Up (1946) did little to advance her film career, due mainly to the ingrained racist attitudes of the time. Even at the height of Lena's musical career, she was often denied rooms at the very hotels in which she performed because they would not let blacks stay there. After Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956), Lena left films to concentrate on music and the stage. She returned in 1969 as Claire Quintana in Death of a Gunfighter (1969). Nine years later, she returned to the screen again in the all black musical The Wiz (1978) where she played Glinda the Good Witch. Although that was her last big-screen appearance, she stayed busy in television appearing in A Century of Women (1994) and That's Entertainment! III (1994).
Had it not been for the prevailing racial attitudes during the time when Lena was just starting her career, it's fair to say that it would have been much bigger and come much sooner. Even taking those factors into account, Lena Horne is still one of the most respected, talented and beautiful performers of all time.- Actress
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Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruby Dandridge (née Ruby Jean Butler), an entertainer, and Cyril H. Dandridge, a cabinet maker and minister. Under the prodding of her mother, Dorothy and her sister Vivian Dandridge began performing publicly, usually in black Baptist churches throughout the country. Her mother would often join her daughters on stage. As the depression worsened, Dorothy and her family picked up and moved to Los Angeles where they had hopes of finding better work, perhaps in film. Her first film was in the Marx Brothers comedy, A Day at the Races (1937). It was only a bit part but Dandridge hoped it would blossom into something better. She only appeared in another film in 1940, in Four Shall Die (1940).
Meanwhile, she dropped out of high school and became part of a musical trio which performed with the orchestra of Jimmie Lunceford. During the late 30s, she dated music composer Phil Moore, who was instrumental in launching her career as a nightclub singer and big band vocalist.
Her next few screen roles in the early 1940s tended to be small stereotypical roles of black girls or princesses - such as Bahama Passage (1941) and Drums of the Congo (1942), She was the singing star of the western themed all-black-cast "soundie" (short musical) Cow-Cow Boogie (1942) and appeared in movies that showcased her talents as actress and singer, like Hit Parade of 1943 (1943) as the vocalist of Count Basie's Band, and twice as the vocalist of Louis Armstrong's Band in Pillow to Post (1945) and Atlantic City (1944).
Those brought her headline acts in the nation's finest hotel nightclubs in New York, Miami, Chicago and Las Vegas. She may have been allowed to sing in these fine hotels but, because of racism, she couldn't have a room in any of them. It was reported that one hotel drained its swimming pool to keep her from enjoying that amenity.
In 1954, she appeared in the all-black production of Carmen Jones (1954) in the title role. She was so superb in that picture that she garnered an Academy Award nomination but lost to Grace Kelly in The Country Girl (1954). She did not get another movie role until Tamango (1958), an Italian film. She did six more films, including, most notably, Island in the Sun (1957) and Porgy and Bess (1959). The last movie in which she would ever appear was The Murder Men (1962) (1961).
Dandridge faded quickly after that, due to an ill-considered marriage to Jack Dennison (her first husband was Harold Nicholas), poor investments, financial woes, and alcoholism.
She was found dead in her apartment at 8495 Fountain Avenue, West Hollywood, on September 8, 1965, aged 42, from barbiturate poisoning. She left $2.14 in her bank account, and a handwritten letter: "In case of my death - whoever discovers it - Don't remove anything I have on - scarf, gown, or underwear. Cremate me right away - if I have any money, furniture, give it to my mother, Ruby Dandridge - She will know what to do.". She was cremated and her ashes were interred in the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
She was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6719 Hollywood Blvd. on January 18, 1983.- Hilda Simms was born Hilda Moses in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of nine children. Prior to becoming an actress, Hilda planned to enter the teaching profession. Hilda and enrolled at the University of Minnesota and engaged in her studies until lack of funds forced her abandon them. She relocated to New York, acting in radio dramas and becoming a member of the American Negro Theater, where she gained professional acting experience. As a member of this noted ensemble, Hilda worked on sound effects, props and publicity while learning her new craft. It was in New York that she met and married William Simms and adopted his surname.
Her marriage to Simms was a short-lived one but in 1943, two years after divorcing him, Hilda made her debut in the title role of Philip Yordan's play, "Anna Lucasta". Yordan had originally written "Ana Lucasta" for an all-white cast but the show made a huge splash when the American Negro Theater produced it. Hilda won the title role, a beautiful young woman struggling to regain her respectability and return to her family after falling into a life of prostitution. The production moved to Broadway in 1944 where Anna Lucasta became one of the early dramas featuring African American actors in work that explored themes unrelated to race. Hilda found herself among a distinguished company of black thespians including "Rosetta LeNoire", Canada Lee, "Frederick O'Neal", Alice Childress and Earle Hyman. The play became the hit of the season and the image of the stunning actress even graced the cover on Life Magazine.
When the play toured abroad, Hilda continued playing in Anna Lucasta while enjoying a singing career in Paris nightclubs under the name Julie Riccardo. During the British tour of the play in 1947, Hilda met and married veteran actor Richard Angarola. The couple returned to the States in the 1950s and Simms embarked on a brief film career. Her first role was as co-star to heavy-weight boxing champion Joe Louis. She played the boxer's wife in The Joe Louis Story (1953). Her only other movie role was that of the hatcheck girl in 1954's Black Widow (1954). "Anna Lucasta" went on to be filmed twice, first as an all white production in 1949 with Paulette Goddard and Broderick Crawford and in 1958 with Eartha Kitt and Sammy Davis Jr.. Earle Hyman refused to work on the film because he considered Hilda the only Anna Lucasta (1958).
In the 1950s, Hilda became a victim of the Hollywood blacklist. The Department of Justice denied her passport in 1955 and canceled her scheduled 14-week USO tour of the Armed Forces in Europe. It was ironic since Hilda had entertained troops and made War Bond tours during World War II. The Defense Department decision was based on speculation about her affiliation with the Communist Party in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The decision caused her dozens of lost opportunities and any chance of a film career evaporated. In 1960, Hilda penned an article titled "I'm No Benedict Arnold," which told her side of the story.
Hilda continued her stage career in productions of The Cool World, Tambourines to Glory as well as a revival of The Madwoman of Chaillot. She also was a regular in the television series The Doctors and the Nurses (1962) and hosted her own radio show, Ladies Day, on New York's WOV. She also became an active participant in political movements and served as the Creative Arts Director for the New York State Human Rights Commission. Her commitment to the project brought discrimination against black actors to the public attention and helped usher in better film roles for luminary African American actors of the era. She also fulfilled her original dream of becoming a teacher and earned a master's degree in education from the City College of New York. Hilda worked for drug treatment programs and led a production life until her death in Buffalo, New York at the age of seventy-five from pancreatic cancer. The tragedy of Hilda's life is that politics and the racism of the time prevented the world from discovering this fabulous woman. - Actress
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Her father Joseph was a minister and her mother was named Ella Mae. Her birth name was Pearly Mae but her parents anticipated she would be a boy and when a girl was born she was nicknamed "Dickie". Her brother was entertainer Bill Bailey (1912-1978). She spent her early life in Washington DC where she received her early education. Bailey frequently appeared in the Old Howard theater in downtown Washington. As a young woman she toured the Pennsylvania mining towns as a dancer and later as a singer in Vaudeville. She starred in the film St. Louis Blues opposite Nat King Cole, which was the biography of W.C. Handy. Her greatest theater role was in the Broadway musical "Hello Dolly".- Actress
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Olga James was born on 16 February 1929 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress, known for Carmen Jones (1954), Sealab 2020 (1972) and The Bill Cosby Show (1969). She was previously married to Cannonball Adderley and Len Chandler.- Carolle Drake was born on 29 August 1923 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She was an actress, known for Band of Angels (1957). She was married to Billy Eckstine and Capt. Rev. Matthew C. Faulkner. She died on 17 August 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Ellen Holly is a retired Black American actress. She was best known for her part as Carla Benari Hall in "One Life to Live" which she played for more than 20 years but she she was more then a soap opera actress.
On Broadway, she showed her versatile acting talent in the various roles she played in "A Hand Is on the Gate", "Tiger Tiger Burning Bright", "Face of a Hero", "Taming of the Shrew", "Henry V", "Too Late the Phalarope", "MacBeth", "Funnyhouse of a Negro", "Camino Real", "The Cherry Orchard", and others. She appeared in a handful of films, starting with "Take a Giant Step".
Her autobiography was titled "One Life: An Autobiography of an African American Actress". - Actress
Strikingly beautiful Dorothea Durham was a popular dancer in the 1930's and 1940's, who also appeared in Hollywood films. Dorothea's beauty and graceful, sensual dancing style was often written about in African American newspapers of the time. She headlined at popular clubs such as Sebastian's Cotton Club and Rhumboogie, and theater revues billed as Garbo, after the actress Greta Garbo, possibly because her of her aloofness, like the actress.
Dorothea started her dance career in popular Chicago and Harlem nightclubs and was one of the women brought out to California to become apart of the thriving African American nightclub nightlife on Central Avenue in the 1930's and 1940's, known as the Harlem of the West. Her beauty and talent got her into films. She appeared in most of all the black cast musical numbers in Hollywood films, including "Cabin In The Sky" and "Stormy Weather." Dorothea also was a sensation in Duke Ellington's Jump For Joy. She was once married to musician Jackie Kelso.