Dorothy Dandridge Biography

Her first part was a small role in the Marx Brothers comedy, 'A Day at the Races', in 1937. As a black woman in a very prejudiced society, Dorothy did not have access to roles that were readily available to her white counterparts, and she did not appear in another film until 1940’s 'Four Shall Die'. Her next few roles in the early 1940s included films such as 'Bahama Passage', 'Drums of the Congo', and 'Change of Heart'.

Not only was she a talented actress but she could also sing, as evidenced in films such as 'Atlantic City' and 'Pillow to Post, and she went on to become the headline act in the best hotel nightclubs in New York, Miami, Chicago, and Las Vegas. She may have been allowed to sing in these hotels, but because of segregation, she couldn't stay there.

In 1954, Dorothy appeared in the all-black production of 'Carmen Jones', in the title role. She garnered an Academy Award nomination, but did not secure another movie role until she appeared in 'Tamango', an Italian film, in 1956.

She made six more motion pictures of which 'Island in the Sun' and 'Porgy and Bess' were probably the best. Her last was 'The Murder Men' (1961).

Dorothy’s life went downhill, with a poor second marriage to Jack Denison (her first was to Harold Nicholas), financial woes, and a problem with alcohol. She was found dead in her West Hollywood apartment on 8 September 1965, of barbiturate poisoning.