Dorothy Dandridge

Dandridge's early life was shaped by her mother, Ruby Dandridge, an entertainer, and her father, Cyril H. Dandridge, a cabinet maker and minister. Encouraged by her mother, Dorothy and her sister Vivian performed publicly, often in black Baptist churches. The family moved to Los Angeles during the Depression, and Dorothy's first film role was in the Marx Brothers comedy A Day at the Races (1937). She later appeared in Four Shall Die (1940), and in the early 1940s, she took on small, stereotypical roles in films like Bahama Passage (1941) and Drums of the Congo (1942). She also worked as a singer, performing with Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra and later with bands led by Count Basie and Louis Armstrong.

Her breakthrough came in 1954 with the title role in Carmen Jones, which earned her an Academy Award nomination, though she lost to Grace Kelly. She went on to appear in notable films such as Island in the Sun (1957), Porgy and Bess (1959), and Tamango (1958), an Italian film. Her final movie role was in The Murder Men (1962). Despite her success on screen, she faced racial discrimination, often being unable to stay in the hotels where she performed. After two marriages, to Harold Nicholas and Jack Denison, she experienced financial troubles and personal struggles. She died from barbiturate poisoning in her West Hollywood apartment in 1965, leaving a note requesting her possessions be given to her mother. She was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983.