Dorothy Dandridge

Biography

Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and singer born on November 9, 1922, in Cleveland, Ohio. She became the first African-American film star to be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her performance in Carmen Jones (1954). Dandridge also performed as a vocalist in iconic venues like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for Porgy and Bess in 1959. She was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983.