Dorothy Dandridge
Acting • Born 1922-11-09 – Died 1965-09-08
Biography
Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress and singer. She was the first African-American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which was for her performance in Carmen Jones (1954). Dandridge also performed as a vocalist in venues such as the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. During her early career, she performed as a part of The Wonder Children, later The Dandridge Sisters, and appeared in a succession of films, usually in uncredited roles. In 1959, Dandridge was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Porgy and Bess. She is the subject of the 1999 biographical film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, with Halle Berry portraying her. She has been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Filmography
55 credits
Porgy and Bess
Movie • 1959
Bess
Island in the Sun
Movie • 1957
Margot Seaton
Sun Valley Serenade
Movie • 1941
Specialty Act
Carmen Jones
Movie • 1954
Carmen Jones
Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas
Movie • 2005
Paper Doll
Movie • 1942
Self
Bahama Passage
Movie • 1941
Thalia
Bright Road
Movie • 1953
Jane Richards
Tamango
Movie • 1958
Aiché, Reiker's mistress
Orchestra Wives
Movie • 1942
Singer/Dancer
Happy Go Lucky
Movie • 1943
Showgirl (uncredited)
It Can't Last Forever
Movie • 1937
Dandridge Sisters Act (uncredited)
The Decks Ran Red
Movie • 1958
Mahia
Swing for Your Supper
Movie • 1941
Vocalist
Drums of the Congo
Movie • 1942
Princess Malimi
Yes, Indeed!
Movie • 1941
Blackbird Fantasy
Movie • 1942
Jungle Jig
Movie • 1941
Moment of Danger
Movie • 1960
Gianna
Remains to Be Seen
Movie • 1953
Dorothy Dandridge
Lady from Louisiana
Movie • 1941
Felice
The Murder Men
Movie • 1961
Norma Sherman
Sundown
Movie • 1941
Kipsang's Wife
Going Places
Movie • 1938
Member of The Dandridge Sisters
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Movie • 1941
Dancer (uncredited)
Snow Gets in Your Eyes
Movie • 1938
One of the Dandridge Sisters (uncredited)
Hit Parade of 1943
Movie • 1943
Count Basie Band Singer
Atlantic City
Movie • 1944
Singer
A Day at the Races
Movie • 1937
Singer (uncredited)
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
Movie • 2001
Self (archive footage)
The Harlem Renaissance
Movie • 2004
Self (archive footage)
Four Shall Die
Movie • 1940
Helen Fielding
Tarzan's Peril
Movie • 1951
Melmendi, Queen of the Ashuba
The Harlem Globetrotters
Movie • 1951
Ann Carpenter
Since You Went Away
Movie • 1944
Black Officer's Wife in Train Station (uncredited)
Ebony Parade
Movie
(archive footage)
Irene
Movie • 1940
One of the Dandridge Sisters (uncredited)
Easy Street
Movie • 1941
Lazybones
Movie • 1941
Pillow to Post
Movie • 1945
Herself - Vocalist (uncredited)
Cow-Cow Boogie
Movie • 1942
Cowgirl
It's Black Entertainment
Movie • 2002
Self (archive footage)
Lucky Jordan
Movie • 1942
Hollyhock School Maid
Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
Movie • 2003
Self (archive footage)
Night in New Orleans
Movie • 1942
Sal, Shadrach's Girl (uncredited)
Moo Cow Boogie
Movie • 1943
Singer
Swingtime Jamboree
Movie • 1946
Herself
A Zoot Suit with a Reet Pleat
Movie • 1942
International Revels
Movie • 1940
Self
Teacher's Beau
Movie • 1935
Student
A Jig in the Jungle
Movie • 1941
Self
Cain's Hundred
TV • 1961
Norma Sherman
The Colgate Comedy Hour
TV • 1950
Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV • 1948
Self
The Oscars
TV • 1953
Self