Dorothy Dandridge was born in Cleveland, Ohio on November 9, 1922 to the parents of Cyril and Ruby Dandridge. Dorothy had what we call ‘natural born talent' because she had a special gift which started when she was young. She began show business at the age of three with a recitation in church and went on for the remainder of her life. In 1934, she moved to Los Angeles, where her mother worked, and began touring with her older sister, Vivian Dandridge, and Etta Jones, a friend that looked like them. They became known as the Dandridge Sisters, performing for small audiences in churches and in nightclubs. She became well recognized for her beautiful voice as well as other talents such as dancing and acting. She was a nightclub singer with pianist Oscar Peterson and his group. Her coarse overtones were said to recall the late Billie Holiday. Dorothy was married twice. First, to Harold Nicholas (a black man) where they had a daughter, Harolyn, who was born brain-damaged. Last, to Jack Denison (a white man). Both ended in failure along with many other relationships. As an actress, Dorothy secured roles that were unheard of at that time for a colored woman. Among her many films just to name a few, “It can’t last forever” in 1937, “Sun Valley Serenade” in 1941, “Island in the Sun” in 1957. One of her most famous performances as an actress was, “Carmen Jones” in 1954, where she starred along with Harry Belafonte and “Porgy and Bess” in 1959, where she starred with Sidney Poitier. Racism was a problem for Dorothy. She wasn’t allowed to enter nightclubs and show rooms except when she performed. She was not allowed to use the restrooms because they for "whites" only. When staying at hotels, she could not get in the swimming pools. However, that never stopped her from becoming an ultimate success. Nearer to the end of her life, Dorothy had hard times. Besides the fact that Dorothy's daughter, Harolyn couldn’t speak, she would hit and bite people. Therefore, the court felt like she was dangerous to herself and others. After Dorothy lost the case at the Los Angeles Medical Court, Harolyn, her daughter, was sent to Camarilla State Mental Hospital. That devastated Dorothy and she quotes, “If a child is born with brain damage and lives, give it up, the sooner the better. Have another child if you can, if your marriage is set up right. But it's merciful is a brain-damaged child dies at birth. That’s a cold thing to say. Believe me, it’s true.” After dramatic depression, bankruptcy, failure of all of the men in her life (including her father who chose not to be around), and the lost of her daughter in court, Dorothy died a tragic death from a drug overdose. On September 8, 1965, she was found in her apartment dead. Assessment Dorothy Dandridge paved the way for talented African American women everywhere. She was the first black woman to ever be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. She was one of the first colored movie stars to grace the cover of Life Magazine. She rose from poverty to fame as an actress, singer, and dancer. She has been referred to as, “A Hollywood star/trailblazer”, “A sex symbol of the silver screen”, “A bronze goddess”, “Hollywood’s first authentic love goddess of color”, etc. Shw was truely a remarkable women in the eyes of many. Although she encountered much racism, she didn't let that stop her. Dorothy showed true strength and integrity through all of her endeavors as a performance artist. Works One of her works that I used to better understand what Dorothy has done as a performance artist was the movie titled, The Life of Dorothy Dandridge. This was a movie that showed her life as she lived it. From the goods to the bads this movie showed it all. With Hallie Berry as the featured actress in the movie it was a hit. They could not have found a better Dorothy unless she played in it herself. One of Dorothy's most remembered works was a film named Carmen Jones. It was a about a woman named Carmen who was a parachute factory worker who seduces Joe, one of the military police guarding the plant. Carmen convinces Joe to leave his fiancée, Cindy Lou and run off with her to Chicago. There, she leaves Joe for a boxing champ, therefore, Joe ends up murdering Carmen because she won’t return to him. Dorothy played a Carmen which made it a great film.

1935 Teacher's Beau 1937 A Day at the Races 1940 Irene 1940 Four Shall Die 1941 Bahama Passage 1941 Lady from Louisiana 1941 Sun Valley Serenade 1942 Lucky Jordan 1942 Drums of the Congo 1942 Ride 'Em Cowboy 1943 Change of Heart 1944 Since You Went Away 1944 Atlantic City 1945 Pillow to Post 1947 Ebony Parade 1951 Harlem Globetrotters 1951 Tarzan's Peril 1953 Remains to be Seen 1953 Bright Road 1954 Carmen Jones 1957 Island in the Sun 1957 The Happy Road 1957 Tamango 1958 The Decks Ran Red 1959 Porgy and Bess 1960 Moment of Danger 1961 The Murder Men
***Introducing Dorothy Dandridge' is Halle Berry's movie mission PASADENA, Calif. — For Halle Berry, getting a movie made about the life of Dorothy Dandridge was more than just a job, it was a crusade of sorts. "I think what initially inspired me was the fact that Dorothy had been so forgotten and that her contribution was so great and so meaningful — not only to me, but to an entire community of people," Berry recently told TV critics. Dandridge was the first black woman to be nominated for a best-actress Oscar — for her role in "Carmen Jones." But, as depicted in the HBO movie "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," which premieres Saturday at 9 p.m., Dandridge was never able to achieve the stardom she sought because of the discrimination against people of her race in the '40s, '50s and '60s. There's a particularly appalling scene when a defiant Dandridge dips her toe in the pool at a Las Vegas hotel — only to learn that the pool was drained, scrubbed and refilled with fresh water after she did so. And Dandridge's life is the stuff Hollywood legends are made of. There was her tumultuous marriage to Harold Nicholas of the tap-dancing Nicholas brothers; her tumultuous affair with director Otto Preminger; her tumultuous second marriage to man who beat her; and her eventual drug-induced death that may or may not have been a suicide. Dandridge achieved a good degree of stardom but she has indeed been largely forgotten. "Her peers have become larger in their death than even in their lives," Berry said, pointing to people like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. "And still people don't remember who Dorothy Dandridge was. My social awareness made me feel a responsibility to bring her legacy to the screen and let it live in the way in which, I believe, she deserved to have it lived." The movie isn't great, but Berry is very good in it. Dandridge's life was certainly theatrical enough, from her early struggles, her troubled marriages, the birth of a retarded daughter, her money problems, her affair with director Otto Preminger, he success, her failures, and her ultimate death. This being HBO, the movie contains bits of nudity and a good deal of strong language. And, while watchable, it never quite reaches the level of compelling. Still, it's a great role for Berry, who is also an executive producer of the telefilm and the driving force behind getting it made. And she's grateful to Dandridge, who died before she was born. "As an actress, it was also a great vehicle for me," Berry said. "Dorothy gave me the greatest gift. She gave the opportunity, after 10 years of struggling in this business, to be a leading lady." Berry said that her life has parallels to Dandridge's life — "being in Hollywood, wanting to be a leading lady and feeling like a leading lady but being in an industry that has no place for us." "My struggle has been very much hers, trying to carve a niche for myself as a leading lady. And, although she opened the door for me, because she was never recognized in the way that she should have been, I'm still in the exact same position." DETERMINATION: Halle Berry was just one of several high-profile stars (including Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston) who wanted to star in Dorothy Dandridge's life story — but she's the one who succeeded in bringing it to fruition. "Without speaking for those other ladies, I know that I have been so passionate about Dorothy Dandridge and about telling the story that I was relentless in my effort," Berry said. "I am an actress first and this is all I thought about for six years. Even when I went on and did other projects — and you know I went through a lot of things in my personal life — I always had in the back of my mind, 'I'm going to make this story on Dorothy Dandridge." She believes her single-mindedness allowed her to win the Dandridge derby. "The other women that I believe were close to making it — Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson — they're also singing superstars," Berry said. "And they had other careers that demanded as much of their attention as they could possibly give, and I don't think they had the kind of time that I had to sit and stew over it and ponder over it and try to figure out how to knock down doors. And I had a manager and another producer that were working relentlessly at trying to get this done. And I think that's what probably made the difference." AMAZING SIMILARITIES: As portrayed in HBO's "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," the life of the late star was, well, rather tumultuous. And, perhaps somewhat alarmingly, Dandridge's best friend, Geri Branton, said she saw great similarities between Berry and Dandridge. "It's amazing, and she does it so well," Branton said. Berry appeared horrified when Branton was asked how she was most like Dandridge.

"I think that Halle's personal life is shocking in that it's the same," Branton said."Geri, shhh," Berry said. But Branton, now in her 70s, plowed on ahead."They're beautiful people, beautiful on the outside but more so on the inside. Generous and lovely," she said. "It's unbelievable. And when I saw Halle the first time, I was taken aback. Really taken aback. They're so very much akin." Berry, whose personal life has made headlines (particularly her failed marriage to baseball star David Justice), quickly recovered. "I don't know what she's talking about," Berry joked. "I think you already know it. It's been written about in every paper already."