Dorothy Dandridge

The Angel Face of Dorothy Jean Dandridge made her an instant Hollywood success. Nicknamed Dottie, she and her sister Vivian learned to sing and play piano at a very early age. The "Wonder Children" began to tour with the National Baptist Convention, spending the next three years on the road. They landed their first big break in the film "The Big Broadcast" in 1936. In the summer of 1938, the girls were booked at the Cotton Club in New York City and two years later, Dorothy branched out on her own to pair with the Nicholas Brothers in Chattanooga Choo Choo. Dorothy had an extremely successful run as a nightclub act that eventually led to numerous television appearances. She was the first black woman to perform at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. In 1953, MGM produced an all-black production titled A Bright Road about a young teacher in Alabama which Dorothy starred in alongside Harry Belafonte. The next year, Dorothy landed the role that sky rocketed her to Hollywood's list of first ladies in Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones. At the advice of Otto she rejected movie offers with the role of a slave or maid that did not agree with her A-list star status. It was close to impossible for a black actress to maintain a long running career in hollywood. While her movie career never took off, her accomplishments proved crucial for ever black actress that followed in her footsteps. Dandridge became the first African-American woman to gain an Academy Award nomination for best actress; She received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Porgy and Bess and in 1954 became the first black woman to grace the cover of Life magazine. Unfortunately, her beauty could not outweigh the barriers erected as a result of the color of skin and it kept many of her dreams from becoming reality. At the age of 42, Dorothy Jean Dandridge succumbed to an overdose of barbituates. A star on Hollywood Boulevard acknowledges the life, dreams and immeasurable impact of the unforgettable Dorothy Dandridge.

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Education

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• Dorothy Dandridge
• Hollywood
• black films