12/30/2023
Lovely Dorothy Dandridge in a newly restored color portrait from February 1952. A similar shot of Dorothy wearing the same red dress can be seen on the QUICK magazine cover dated June 2, 1952 - (in comments). Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922, in Cleveland, Ohio. Around 1930, she and her family moved to LA, California. A few years later she found success with her new musical group, the Dandridge Sisters, which included sister Vivian and their friend Etta Jones. As a teenager, Dorothy began earning small roles in a number of films including the Marx Brothers classic "A Day at the Races" (1937), as well as "Going Places" (1938), with Louis Armstrong. On her own, she danced with Harold Nicholas of the dancing Nicholas Brothers in the 1941 Sonja Henie musical "Sun Valley Serenade". Dorothy married Harold Nicholas in 1942, but their union proved to be anything but a happy one. After her divorce in 1951, Dorothy returned to the nightclub circuit, this time as a successful solo singer. She won her first starring film role in 1953โs "Bright Road", playing an earnest and dedicated young schoolteacher opposite Harry Belafonte. Her next role in "Carmen Jones" (1954) furthermore catapulted her to the heights of screen stardom. She was so superb in that picture that she garnered an Academy Award nomination but lost to Grace Kelly (The Country Girl (1954)). Despite the nomination, she did not get another movie role until "Tamango" (1958), an Italian film. She would make six more films, including, most notably, "Island in the Sun" (1957) and "Porgy and Bess" (1959). The last movie in which she would ever appear was "The Murder Men" (1961). Dorothy faded quickly after that, due to poor investments, financial woes, and alcoholism. Tragically, she was found dead in her West Hollywood apartment on September 8, 1965, aged 42, from accidental barbiturate poisoning. Dorothy's unique and tragic story became the subject of renewed interest in the late 1990s, beginning in 1997 with the release of a biography, Dorothy Dandridge, by Donald Bogle. In 2000, film star Halle Berry won Golden Globe and Emmy awards for her portrayal of the groundbreaking actress in the acclaimed TV movie, "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge".
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