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.
General Info
Full Name
Dorothy Dandridge
Died
September 8, 1965, West Hollywood, California, United States
Height
1.65 m
Profession
Actor, Pin-up model, Singer
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Jack Denison, Harold Nicholas
Children
Harolyn Suzanne Nicholas
Parents
Ruby Dandridge, Cyril Dandridge
Siblings
Vivian Dandridge
Accomplishments
Awards
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie,...
Music Groups
Dandridge Sisters
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress
Carmen Jones (1954) was the best break I've ever had. But no producer ever knocked on my door. There just aren't that many parts for a black actress.
2
If I were white, I could capture the world.
3
It [prejudice] is such a waste. It makes you logy and half-alive. It gives you nothing. It takes away.
Facts
#
Fact
1
Although her death was originally attributed to an embolism, the L.A. medical examiner attributed it to an overdose of the anti-depression medication Tofranil.
2
Delivered her daughter Harolynn via forceps.
3
Became pregnant by her then-lover Otto Preminger but underwent an abortion in March 1957.
4
Gave birth to her only child at age 20, a daughter named Harolynn Suzanne Nicholas on September 2, 1943. The father was her first husband, Harold Nicholas. Harolynn was born with a brain injury and reportedly died in 2003.
5
She was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6719 Hollywood Boulevard on January 18, 1983.
6
Following her untimely death, she was cremated and her ashes were interred in the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Madame Sul-Te-Wan was not her real0life grandmother, as is often rumored. In the definitive biography on Dandridge, by Donald Bogle, it is suggested that this rumor started because she played Dandridge's grandmother in Carmen Jones (1954).
Died broke and deeply in debt in her apartment at 8495 Fountain Avenue, West Hollywood.
15
She was the first African-American to be nominated for a "Best Actress" Oscar. Halle Berry, who portrayed Dorothy in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), became the first African-American to win "Best Actress" at the Academy Awards.
16
She was first choice for the role of Cleopatra but ultimately the role went to Elizabeth Taylor.
17
She was the first African-American actress to be Oscar-nominated for "Best Actress in a Leading Role".
18
Was considered for the role of Billie Holiday in a movie; however, the project did not materialize in her lifetime. When the movie did come to pass, the role was portrayed by Diana Ross.
19
Dated music composer Phil Moore, who was instrumental in launching her career as a nightclub singer in the 1940s.
20
Her best friend was Geraldine Pate Nicholas Branton, former wife of Fayard Nicholas, of the tap dancing duo The Nicholas Brothers, who was her ex-brother-in-law.
21
She loved soul food. Her favorite was chitterlings and greens, which she ate only once a week.
22
Suffered from near paralyzing stage fright whenever she had to perform.
23
Although she was a top-notch nightclub/cabaret singer, she despised that.
24
She was the first African-American woman to grace the cover of Life magazine.
25
In September 1965 The New York Times reported that her death was caused by bone marrow particles from a fractured metatarsal bone in her right foot that entered her bloodstream and reached her brain and lungs.
26
She was pursued for the role of Tuptim in The King and I (1956), but turned it down on the advice of Otto Preminger, who advised her not to accept a role in which she was not the star (the biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) also implies that it was because the character was a slave). Rita Moreno was subsequently cast in the role.
27
Now thought to have suffered from manic-depression, also referred to as bi-polar disorder.
28
At the time of her death, there was $2.14 in her bank account. She left 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.".
Member of the Dandridge Sisters (as The Dandridge Sisters)
Teacher's Beau
1935
Short
Cabin Kid
Marco Polo
1962/II
Empress Zaire
Cain's Hundred
1962
TV Series
Norma Sherman
Malaga
1960
Gianna
Porgy and Bess
1959
Bess
The Decks Ran Red
1958
Mahia
Tamango
1958
Aiché, Reiker's mistress
Island in the Sun
1957
Margot Seaton
Carmen Jones
1954
Carmen Jones
Remains to Be Seen
1953
Dorothy Dandridge
Bright Road
1953
Jane Richards
The Harlem Globetrotters
1951
Ann Carpenter
Tarzan's Peril
1951
Melmendi, Queen of the Ashuba
Atlantic City
1944
Singer
Since You Went Away
1944
Black Officer's Wife in Train Station (uncredited)
Hit Parade of 1943
1943
Count Basie Band Singer
Happy Go Lucky
1943
Showgirl (uncredited)
Lucky Jordan
1942
Hollyhock School Maid (uncredited)
Drums of the Congo
1942
Princess Malimi
Night in New Orleans
1942
Sal, Shadrach's Girl (uncredited)
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Sing Your Song
2011
Documentary performer: "Dat's Love"
Myra Breckinridge
1970
performer: "Chattanooga Choo Choo" - uncredited
Cain's Hundred
1962
TV Series performer - 1 episode
Porgy and Bess
1959
performer: "Bess, You Is My Woman Now", "What You Want With Bess?", "I Loves You Porgy", "Summertime" reprise
The 29th Annual Academy Awards
1957
TV Special documentary performer: "Julie"
Carmen Jones
1954
performer: "DAT'S LOVE", "YOU GO FOR ME", "DERE'S A CAFE ON DE CORNER", "WHIZZIN' AWAY ALONG DE TRACK", "THERE'S A MAN I'M CRAZY FOR", "CARD SONG", "FINAL DUET", "STRING ME HIGH ON A TREE"
Remains to Be Seen
1953
performer: "Taking a Chance on Love" - uncredited
Bright Road
1953
performer: "Church in the Wildwood", "Sweet and Low" - uncredited
