This child performer went on to become one of Hollywood's first black female stars. Called a "sepia siren" and the "most beautiful Negro singer since Lena Horne" by LIFE magazine (she was one of the first black female stars to appear on the magazine's cover), the tall, willowy beauty reached the pinnacle of stardom as the sultry seductress lead in two exceptional Hollywood musicals, "Carmen Jones" (1954), for which she was the first black woman to receive an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress, and "Porgy and Bess" (1959); ironically her voice was dubbed (by Marilyn Horne and Adele Addison) in both films.
Under the tutelage of her mother, character actress Ruby Dandridge, she began her career in a musical act with her sister Vivian with whom she appeared in films ("A Day at the Races" 1937) and later performed with as big band singers in the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. After her divorce from Harold Nicholas of the famed dancing Nicholas brothers, Dandridge established herself as a sophisticated international nightclub singer and made a determined effort to become a dramatic film star. She played a committed young teacher in the drama "Bright Road" (1953) but it was as the eponymous temptress in "Carmen Jones" (1954) that she catapulted to stardom.
Hollywood did not, however, find the roles to match her celebrity and it was several years before she appeared in a string of interracial romance problem dramas beginning with the then-controversial "Island in the Sun" (1957). After the success of Otto Preminger's lusciously produced "Porgy and Bess" (1959), Dandridge reluctantly resumed her nightclub career, finding a dearth of dramatic vehicles in Hollywood. Personal and financial problems overshadowed the end of her career and Dandridge died from a drug overdose at age 41, ironically coming to symbolize the "tragic mulatto" stereotype she had attempted to escape in her career.
Family
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: Geneva Williams. mother's companion; reportedly was abusive to Dorothy and her sister
Significant Others
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Companion: Otto Preminger. dated after completion of "Carmen Jones" (1954)
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Companion: Phil Moore. singing coach who shaped Dandridge's voice and polished her nightclub act in the early 1950s
Milestones
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1927 First professional performance at age four in song-and-dance team with sister Vivian billed as "The Wonder Children"; performed before school, church and social groups
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1927 Moved to Los Angeles at age four when parents separated (date approximate)
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1937 First film appearance (bit) in "A Day in the Races"
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1940 Peformed at the Cotton Club in Harlem where she met future husband Harold Nicholas (date approximate)
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1945 Retired from performing after her marriage (dates approximate)
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1951 Returned to nightclub performing; starred at the Mocambo in Hollywood with Desi Arnaz's band
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1952 Appearance at La Vie en Rose nightclub was a sellout and her fourteen week engagement helped save the club from bankruptcy and led to international stardom, performing in nightclubs in London, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo
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1953 First starring role in "Bright Road"
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1957 Announced to star as Billie Holliday in film adaptation of William Dufty's bestseller, "Lady Sings the Blues"
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1965 Attempted to resurrect career; went to health farm in Mexico with manager Earl Mills and signed new movie contract (date approximate)
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1965 Was preparing for an engagement at New York club, Basin Street East, at time of death
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After "Island in the Sun" (1957), made three movies in Europe: "The Decks Ran Red" (1958), Tamango" (1959) and "Malaga" (1962)
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Around time of divorce from Denison, was forced to file for bankruptcy after creditors closed in
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Left high school and formed the Dandridge Sisters trio--with sister, Vivian, and Etta Jones--which sang with the Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra during the 1940s
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Sister Vivian decided to go solo in the mid-1940s
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Was the first black performer to appear at the Empire Room of the Waldorf Astoria in New York