Lola Falana

1942 - Yes, date unknown    Has no ancestors and no descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Lola Falana
  Birth	11 Sep 1942	Camden, New Jersey, USA
  Gender	Female
  Death	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I329638	Geneagraphie
  Last Modified	26 May 2006

  
  

  Family 1	Sammy Davis, Jr.,   b. 8 Dec 1925, Harlem, New York, USA d. 16 May 1990, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA (Age 64 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1968
  Family ID	F144723	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	26 May 2006

  
  

  Family 2	Feliciano Tavares   d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	1971
  Divorce	1975
  Family ID	F144722	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	26 May 2006

  
  

• Notes

  American dancer and actress of part Cuban and African American descent. Falana's father left Cuba to become a welder in the United States. She spent most of her childhood in Philadelphia, PA . Lola enjoyed music from an early age. At three Lola was dancing; at five she was singing in the church choir. Escorted by her mother, she was dancing in nightclubs by the time she was a student in junior high school. Pursuing a musical career became so important to Lola that, against her parents wishes, she left Germantown High School a few months before graduation and moved to New York City . When she reached New York, Falana had little money. She reportedly slept in subway cars or stations when she didn't have enough money for better accommodations. Her first dancing gig was at Small's Paradise in Harlem . Dinah Washington , the "Queen of Blues", was influential in fostering Lola's early career. While dancing in a nightclub, Falana was discovered by Sammy Davis Jr. , who gave her a featured role in his Broadway musical Golden Boy in 1964. Lola's first single "My Baby" was recorded for Mercury Records in 1965. Later in her career she recorded under Frank Sinatra 's record label. In the late 1960s Lola Falana was mentored by Sammy Davis Jr. In 1966 Davis cast her, along with himself, Ossie Davis , and Cicely Tyson , in her first film role in the American movie A Man Called Adam. Lola Falana became a major star of Italian cinema beginning in 1967. While in Italy she learned to speak fluent Italian while starring in three movies, the first of which was considered a spaghetti western . She was known as the "Black Venus". During this time she was busy touring with Sammy Davis Jr. as a singer and dancer, making films in Italy and reprising her role in Golden Boy during its revival in London. In 1969 Falana ended her close working relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. though the two remained friends. "If I didn't break away," Lola told TV Guide , "I would always be known as the little dancer with Sammy Davis, Jr. I wanted to be known as something more." Lola Falana became familiar to American audiences throughout the early 1970s. She was often on the television programs The Joey Bishop Show and The Hollywood Palace showing her multi-faceted talents through music, dance, and light comedy. Falana starred in a few movies considered to be of the Blaxploitation genre (the genre is also referred to as Whitesploitation or Gridhouse movies). In 1970 Falana posed for Playboy magazine to increase public awareness of her. Lola Falana was the first black woman to model in a line of cosmetics that wasn't targeted solely to blacks, in the successful Faberge Tigress perfume ads. Falana was married to Feliciano "Butch" Tavares from 1971 until 1975. Butch Tavares was one of five brothers who formed the popular R&B band Tavares . Lola Falana was the first supporting player Bill Cosby hired for his highly-anticipated variety hour, The New Bill Cosby Show, debuting September 11, 1972 on CBS . Cosby met Lola back in his college days, when he was a struggling comic and she was only 14 years old dancing for ten dollars a show in Philadelphia nightclubs. Throughout the mid-1970s Falana made guest appearances on many popular television shows, including regular appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson , Laugh- In, The Flip Wilson Show and many others. Lola also starred in her own popular television specials. As the 1970s progressed Falana's fame grew. In 1975 Lola Falana had a disco hit "There's A Man Out There Somewhere" that went to #67 on Billboard R&B chart. That same year Lola returned to Broadway as the lead in the musical Doctor Jazz . Though the production closed after five performances, Lola was nominated for a Tony award and won the 1975 Theater World Award for her performance. With help from her friend Sammy Davis Jr. Falana became a growing star in Las Vegas . Falana was considered the Queen of Las Vegas by the late 1970s. She performed to sell out crowds at The Sands , The Riviera , and the MGM Grand hotels. Finally The Aladdin offered her a deal that offered her $100,000 a week to perform in a show which became a major tourist attraction. The show played 20 weeks a year. At the time, Falana was the highest paid female performer in Las Vegas. While still playing to sellout crowds in Las Vegas, Falana joined the cast of the short lived CBS soap opera, "Capitol," in 1984. Soon after the show was cancelled Falana had her first debilitating exacerbation, or relapse, of Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis . Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic disease of the nervous system, in which T-cells attack the myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord and can cause a variety of symptoms. Falana's exacerbation was severe: her left side became paralyzed, she became partially blinded, and her voice and hearing were also affected. Falana's recovery took a year and a half, during which period she spent much of her time praying. Falana attributes her recovery to a spiritual experience she had in which she described being able to feel the presence of the Lord. She converted to Catholicism and worked her spirituality into her everyday life. Though she had several sold out shows Las Vegas in 1987, her new spirituality became the center of her life. Falana spends much of her time touring the country with a message of spirituality rather than dancing and singing. After another exacerbation of Multiple Sclerosis in 1996, she moved back to Philadelphia and lived with her parents for a short time. Currently she is living a quiet life in Las Vegas working on the apostolate she founded, The Lambs of God Ministry. The ministry is focused on helping children who have been orphaned in Sub-Saharan Africa , and works closely with the group Save Sub-Saharan Orphans. Falana was last known to have performed publicly in 1997, at Wayne Newton 's theater in Branson, Missouri .