Dorothy Dandridge
Born on November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, Dorothy Dandridge began a show business career at a young age. Dandridge’s mother, Ruby Dandridge was an actress, and early on urged her two daughter’s, Dorothy and Vivian, to pursue careers in entertainment. In the 1930s, Dandridge and her sister began performing in a song and dance act under the name, “The Wonder Children.” After dropping out of high school in the late 1930s, Dandridge, Vivian, and their friend Etta James formed a group called the Dandridge Sisters. They performed in such places as the Cotton Club. In the late 1930s and in the early 1940s, Dandridge appeared in a few films, including A Day at the Races (1937) and Drums of the Congo (1942). Dandridge’s career as an entertainer ended temporarily in 1942 when she married Harold Nicholas, a dancer with the Nicholas Brothers. In 1943, their daughter, Harolyn was born, but she suffered from severe brain damage. Dandridge and Nicolas’ marriage ended in divorce in 1949. After the divorce Dandridge resumed her nightclub career as a solo singer. She sang at clubs in Hollywood, London, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, and New York. With her international exposure, she landed a starring role opposite Harry Belafonte in Bright Road (1953), a film about a devoted schoolteacher. In 1954, she had finally reached stardom. Dandridge and Harry Belafonte co-starred in the film Carmen Jones. Dandridge’s performance won her an Academy Award nomination for best actress.
Dorothy with Sidney Poitier.
It was rumored that Dandridge would win, but she lost to Grace Kelly who won for her performance in The Country Girl. Although Dandridge had achieved success with her performance in Carmen Jones, film roles for black actresses were not in abundance. She appeared in a few films, including Island in the Sun (1957) and The Decks Ran Red (1959). She also had the opportunity to play a starring role as a slave in the King and I, but she turned down the role. In 1959, she co-starred in Porgy and Bess with Sidney Poitier. The film was not as successful as Carmen Jones was but it received good reviews. In 1959, she married her second husband, Jack Denison, a restaurant owner. She put her savings into his restaurant, which eventually failed in 1962. They divorced shortly thereafter. As her second marriage ended, Dandridge’s film career was also slowing down and she was having financial trouble. She resumed her nightclub career, but she did not encounter the same kind of success as she had earlier on. Dandridge began to drink heavily and take anti-depressants. On September 8, 1965, she was found dead in her West Hollywood home from a drug overdose. It was determined to be a suicide.
Biography Courtesy: African-American History.
Dorothy with Harry Belafonte in "Carmen Jones".
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