Dorothy Dandrige

ACTRESS & SINGER

Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio

November 9, 1922 - September 8, 1965

Dorothy Dandridge was the first recognized African American actress and sex

symbol. Dorothy was married and divorced twice and she had one child that had

to be institutionalized for a brain injury. She starred in such movies as Carmen

Jones (with Harry Belafonte) and Porgy and Bess (with Sidney Poiter). In 1954,

she became the first African American woman to receive an Academy Award

nomination. This beautiful but tragic star struggled with prejudices of Hollywood. She died from an

overdose of antidepressants at the age of 42. Many felt her death was a suicide