Dorothy Dandridge

1923 - 1965  (41 years)    Has 3 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Dorothy Dandridge
  Birth	9 Nov 1923	Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, USA
  Gender	Female
  Prominent People	USA
  actor
  Death	8 Sep 1965	West Hollywood, Los Angeles county, California, USA
  Siblings	1 Sibling
  + 1. Vivian Dandridge,   b. 22 Apr 1921, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, USA d. 1991  (Age 69 years) ▻ Warren Bracken;   Jack Montgomery,  m. 28 Jun 1942 ;   Emmett Wallace, 'Babe';   Ralph Bledsoe,  m. 18 Feb 1946 ;   Gustav Friedrich,  m. Apr 1958   2. Dorothy Dandridge,   b. 9 Nov 1923, Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, USA d. 8 Sep 1965, West Hollywood, Los Angeles county, California, USA  (Age 41 years) ▻ Harold Lloyd Nicholas,  m. 1944 ;   Jack Denison,  m. 1959 ;   Peter Sidney Ernest Lawford;   Otto Preminger
  Person ID	I373519	Geneagraphie
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2002

  
  

  Father	Cyrus Dandridge   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Ruby Dandridge,   b. 3 Mar 1900, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee, USA d. 17 Oct 1987, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California, USA (Age 87 years)
  Family ID	F148189	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Harold Lloyd Nicholas,   b. 27 Mar 1921, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA d. 3 Jul 2000, New York, New York, USA (Age 79 years)
  Marriage	1944
  Divorce	1955
  Family ID	F148192	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2002

  
  

  Family 2	Jack Denison   d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	1959
  Divorce	1962
  Family ID	F148191	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2002

  
  

  Family 3	Peter Sidney Ernest Lawford,   b. 7 Sep 1923, London, Middlesex, England d. 24 Dec 1984, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California, USA (Age 61 years)
  Family ID	F148183	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2002

  
  

  Family 4	Otto Preminger,   b. 5 Dec 1906, Wien, Österreich d. 23 Apr 1986, New York, New York, USA (Age 79 years)
  Family ID	F148184	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2002

  
  

• Event Map	Click to hide
  		Birth - 9 Nov 1923 - Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, USA Prominent People - actor - - USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

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• Notes

  Under the prodding of her mother, Dorothy and her sister began performing publicly usually in black Baptist churches throughout the country. Her mother, an entertainer herself and the daughter of Madame Sul-Te-Wan, an actress from Kentucky, would often join her daughters on stage. As the depression worsened, Dorothy and her family picked up and moved to Los Angeles where they had hopes of finding better work, perhaps in film. Her first film was in the Marx Brothers comedy, A DAY AT THE RACES in 1937. It was only a bit part but Dorothy had hopes that it would blossom into something better. But because she was a black woman in a very prejudiced society, she didn't land the roles that were readily available to her white counterparts. She did not appear in another film until 1940 in FOUR SHALL DIE. The role was nothing great other than to establish the fact that she was very beautiful and talented. Her next few roles in the early forties included films such as BAHAMA PASSAGE (1941), DRUMS OF THE CONGO (1942), and CHANGE OF HEART (1943). There were others in between, of course, but they were the usual black stereotypical films for women such as Dorothy. Not only was she a talented actress but she could also sing which was evident in films such as ATLANTIC CITY (1944) and PILLOW TO POST (1945). This helped to showcase her talents as a singer and brought her headline acts in the nation's finest hotel nightclubs in New York, Miami, Chicago, and Las Vegas. She may have been allowed to sing in these fine hotels, but because of racism, she couldn't stay there. It was reported that one hotel drained its swimming pool to keep her from enjoying that little amenity. In 1954, Dorothy appeared in the all-black production of CARMEN JONES in the title role. She was so superb in that picture that she garnered an Academy Award nomination but lost out to Grace Kelly in THE COUNTRY GIRL. Despite the nomination for her performance Dorothy did not get another movie until she appeared in TAMANGO (1956) which was an Italian film. She was to make six more motion pictures of which ISLAND IN THE SUN (1957) and PORGY AND BESS (1959) were worthy of mention. Once again she was a standout. The last movie she would ever play would be in 1961's THE MURDER MEN. Dorothy faded quickly after that with a poor second marriage to Jack Denison (her first was to Harold Nicholas), poor investments,other financial woes, and a problem with alcohol. She was found dead in her West Hollywood apartment on September 8, 1965, the victim of a barbituate poisoning. She was only 41. Had she been born 20 years later, Dorothy Dandridge would no doubt be one of the most well-known actresses in film history. (Medical):overdose drugs