Dorothy Dandridge Biography: Wedding, Measurements, Relationship



Known for movies



Dorothy Dandridge was an American actress and singer, who became the first African American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the 1954 film Carmen Jones. She is also remembered for her roles in such films as Porgy and Bess (1959) and Island in the Sun (1957).

Dandridge was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 9, 1922, to Cyril Dandridge, a cabinetmaker and minister, and Ruby Dandridge, an entertainer and actress. She had two sisters, Vivian and Etta, and a brother, Harold. Dandridge’s parents divorced when she was three, and she and her siblings were raised by their mother.

Dandridge began her career as a child performer, appearing in vaudeville and on the radio. She made her film debut in the short film Four Shall Die (1940), and went on to appear in a number of small roles in films such as Sundown (1941) and Something to Sing About (1937). In 1943, she had a supporting role in the all-black musical film Cabin in the Sky.

Dandridge’s breakout role came in the 1954 film Carmen Jones, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She continued to appear in films throughout the 1950s, including The Decks Ran Red (1958), Porgy and Bess (1959), and Tamango (1959). In 1957, she starred in the first interracial romantic drama film, Island in the Sun.

In the 1960s, Dandridge’s career began to decline, and she appeared in fewer films. She made a comeback in 1965 with the film A Man Called Adam, but her career was again cut short by her untimely death at the age of 42.

Dandridge was married twice, first to Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers dancing team, and then to Jack Denison. She had one daughter, Harolyn Suzanne Nicholas, with Harold Nicholas.

Dorothy Dandridge died of heart failure on September 8, 1965, at the age of 42.

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia