Denison then took off, leaving her alone, broke, and depressed; she divorced him in and was forced to declare bankruptcy the following year. An attempt to revive her acting career went nowhere, and before long Dandridge had turned to pills and alcohol to ease her despair, which took a heavy toll on both her mental and physical well-being. For a brief period in early , it seemed that Dandridge might succeed in getting her life back in order.
She left Hollywood for Mexico, where she checked into a health spa and worked at getting in shape. Several deals were in the works, including starring roles in a couple of new movies. However, on September 8, , just a few days after returning to Hollywood, the forty-two-year-old Dandridge was found dead in her apartment of an overdose of antidepressant medication. Authorities could not determine whether it was an accident or suicide.
In January , Dandridge finally received the recognition she had long deserved when her gold star was unveiled on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. A crowd of fans of all ages attended the ceremony, joined by a number of prominent black actors and actresses, including her former co-stars Belafonte and Poitier.
As her biographer, Donald Bogle, noted in Essence, they had gathered there to honor "a pioneer" who "cleared a path for so many to follow" with her determination to make something more of herself than society was ready to accept.
All rights reserved. Achieved Early Fame in Nightclubs Around , Dorothy and Vivian teamed up with another singer named Etta Jones and, billed as the Dandridge Sisters, began touring with a popular band.
Launched Film Career Before long, however, Dandridge's film career began to blossom. Challenged Racial Stereotypes Despite receiving such acclaim, Dandridge waited in vain for more demanding film roles to come her way. Struggled against Depression With the dramatic roles she wanted to play in short supply, Dandridge resumed her singing career after Porgy and Bess was released.
Notable Black American Women, Gale, Ebony, September , pp. Essence, October ; May , p. Jet, February 6, , p. I would like to say that Dorothy Dandridge broke color barriers for black performers in America, and she did in many ways, but unfortunately, despite her fame and success, she was still treated with the same racial prejudices that plagued America at the time.
Her legacy and presence helped pave the way for actresses and actors that came after her. When people discuss Dandridge, they often talk about the many tragedies that she faced in her life--two failed marriages, physical abuse by ex-husband and a caregiver, and her tragic death at However, Dandridge was so much more than her bad fortune.
She was -- and still is -- a symbol of beauty, strength, talent, and a better future for black entertainers. Therefore, for this facts about Dorothy Dandridge piece, I want to try to highlight the positive things in her life and career. Ruby Dandridge eventually moved in with her girlfriend Geneva Williams. Williams stayed at home educating and taking care of Dorothy and her sister Vivian. Ruby went off and found any work possible to pay the bills. As children, Vivian and Dorothy formed a singing and dancing group called the Wonder Children.
Excited about the prospect of playing the potentially career-making lead in the film Carmen Jones, Dandridge secured a meeting in with the legendary Austrian-born director Otto Preminger. It is the folklore of Hollywood; the ugliness is much commented upon, it is known and understood that out of their ugliness they fashion an armor of toughness with which to prey, and rule and succeed, and these alone are the kings of Hollywood.
Preminger was equally nonplussed by Dandridge, telling her she was all wrong for the role of Carmen, a hard-living sex worker. I can play a nun or a bitch. She began to embark on a campaign to prove Preminger wrong.
I would return looking like Carmen herself. I made myself look like a hussy. Dandridge got the part. Dandridge became completely obsessed with Preminger. I was a production too; my dress, my life, my friends, who I saw, where I went, my perfume, my manner, my career…I did as Otto advised.
Never settle for anything less. Dandridge was a sensation in Carmen Jones and garnered an Oscar nomination for the role. But Dandridge came to view the four years she spent with the controlling married Preminger as time lost. He advised her to not take supporting roles including one in The King and I that would be played instead by Rita Moreno and to focus on nightclub singing. I had bitter nights of weeping.
Cold steak. Cold cucumbers. By the s, Dandridge was breaking down. There was a disastrous marriage to failing nightclub owner Jack Denison, which was filled with drinking and intense fights. Dandridge was forced to file for bankruptcy after a bad investment in oil wells, and Lynn was returned to her after she failed to pay her caretaker. She raised Dorothy and her other daughter, Vivian, to be performers as well. At a young age, Dorothy and Vivian right began performing as a singing act known as the Wonder Children.
Dorothy's family moved to Hollywood around The future star formed a singing group with Vivian and their friend, Etta Jones, called the Dandridge Sisters. The Dandridge Sisters were a success. Soon, they became a fixture at clubs across the country and began opening for acts like Cab Calloway and Jimmie Lunceford pictured. Although the Dandridge Sisters were highly regarded in the nightclub scene, segregation was still prevalent during this time. The group notably performed at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem, where Black performers "were instructed not to mix with white patrons," per The New York Times.
It wasn't long before the singing group found themselves on the screen. In , the trio began appearing in film roles as the Dandridge Sisters. In , Dandridge appeared in her first solo film role.
After her solo debut, Dandridge's talents led her to a successful film career. While working in New York , Dandridge met and struck up a relationship with Harold Nicholas, who was a tap dancer in the Nicholas Brothers group alongside his older brother, Fayard.
The two were wed on September 6, She was born with severe brain trauma, which Dandridge attributed to a delay in her labor after Nicholas left her at home without car keys when she was nine months pregnant. After a brief hiatus from performing, Dandridge embarked on a solo singing career and became a regular on the nightclub circuit, including at the Waldorf Astoria's Empire Room. In , Dandridge divorced Nicholas. After nine years of marriage, Nicholas's wandering eye reportedly led to the split, as well as him leaving Dandridge to care for their disabled daughter alone.
0コメント