Dorothy Dandrige

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She was a beautiful actress and singer whose star shone too briefly. Dorothy Dandridge, a fragile boned beauty with skin often described as "cafe au lait", was sadly a victim of her own circumstances.



She rose to the top of her profession with her first starring role and became the first black woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. But, just as fast as her success was achieved, so did it begin to fade.


She knew it was hard, close to impossible, for a black actress to maintain a long running career in Hollywood because the roles were simply not there. She once said, "If I were white, I could capture the world".


Dorothy had the drive and the talent to make it but the color of her skin held her back and her life soon began a downward spiral which in the end turned tragic.

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Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born in Cleveland Ohio's City Hospital on November 9, 1922. Her mother was an aspiring actress named Ruby Dandridge. Ruby had walked out on Dorothy's father, Cyrus, five months previous to Dorothy's birth taking her first child, Vivian, with her. Cyrus still lived with his mother and Ruby had come to the conclusion that he would never amount to anything and she resented the fact that they did not have their own home.

Ruby moved into an apartment on Central Avenue and did what work she could find to support her daughters. This usually entailed cleaning houses but Ruby also satisfied her creative aspirations by singing and reciting poetry for local theater groups and churches. Ruby was pleased to see that both of her daughters displayed a great talent for memorizing poetry and singing. A friend of Ruby named Geneva Williams soon moved in with them and Geneva became instrumental in teaching the girls singing, dancing and piano. The girls were too young to realize it at the time, but Geneva was also their mother's lover.

As the talents of Dorothy and Vivian improved, Ruby and Geneva began to plan a future for themselves that they hoped would bring them fame and security. The girls would now be called The Wonder Children and they would be their ticket. They moved to Nashville and The Wonder Children were signed with the National Baptist Convention to tour churches throughout the southern states.

Their act became a family affair with Geneva at the piano while Dorothy and Vivian performed a variety of skits that included singing, dancing, acrobatics, impressions and the ever popular poetry recitations. Mama Ruby became the business manager and she handled all the business affairs and sometimes even joined in the act herself.

The Wonder Children proved successful and they spent three years on the road. To Dorothy and Vivian, their act became tiring and tedious. Long hours were spent rehearsing as Geneva demanded perfection. The sisters had little time for fun and games and the usual activities that girls their age enjoyed. As for education, they were tutored, but education took a back seat to their work. The girls also learned about the harsh realities of racism that was at its worst in the south.

The Great Depression put a halt to The Wonder Children tour and Ruby planned what they would do next. She had wisely studied films and intuitively felt that their future would be in Hollywood. They settled into a house on Fortura Street and Dorothy and Vivian were enrolled in Hooper Street School and a dancing school for afternoon classes. In the meantime, Ruby was using her vivacious personality to gain a foothold in the Hollywood community.

Dorothy and Vivian made friends at the dancing school with a girl named Etta Jones. They would sing together with Geneva at the piano and Ruby decided that the three girls would make a terrific singing trio. With the help of black agent Ben Carter, the girls found work at various theaters in southern California. Their reputation grew and The Dandridge Sisters, as they were known known, landed their first big break when they received an uncredited cameo in the film The Big Broadcast of 1936. Subsequent small film roles followed until the summer of 1938 when their manager informed them that he had booked them in the prestigious Cotton Club in New York City.

Geneva and the girls moved to New York. Ruby was forming a successful career for herself as a character actress so she remained in Hollywood. On the first day of rehearsals at the Cotton Club, Dorothy met Harold Nicholas, who with his brother, Fayard Nicholas made up the famous Nicholas Brothers dancing team. Dorothy was almost 16 and she was developing into a beautiful young woman. People would stop to stare at her beauty and Harold Nicholas was no exception. They began dating much to the dismay of Geneva, who kept the girls on a tight leash.

The Dandridge Sisters were a hit in The Cotton Club and the critics gave them glowing reviews. Their success earned them another exciting engagement - they would tour in Europe. Again, the girls received good reviews but their tour was cut short by the advent of World War II.

The girls returned to Hollywood, where ironically The Nicholas Brothers were filming Down Argentine Way. Dorothy and Harold resumed dating. The Dandridge Sisters played a few more engagements but they eventually split up due in part to Dorothy's increasing desire to have a solo career.

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Dorothy had aspirations to succeed on her own and in the fall of 1940, her prospects looked promising. She landed a small but significant role in a low budget film called Four Shall Die. She then went on to small parts in Lady From Louisiana and Sundown. She was teamed with the Nicholas Brothers for a lively rendition of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" in the film Sun Valley Serenade. Dorothy wanted desperately to be a film actress but she adamantly refused to portray stereotypical black roles such as maids.

Both Dorothy and Vivian worked steadily on their own but they longed to break free from Ruby and Geneva. In 1942, both sisters married. It would be Vivian's first of many marriages but Dorothy dreamed of having a fairytale marriage that would last. On September 6, 1942, she married Harold Nicholas at the home of Harold's mother.

The couple bought a beautiful house not far from Harold's mother. After a lifetime of non-stop hard work and striving to please others, Dorothy decided that she could be perfectly happy leading a quiet home life. She proved to be the 1940's image of the ideal wife - she was an excellent cook and their home was beautifully decorated and always immaculate. She was also a wonderful hostess and they often had small parties and dinners. Dorothy became very good friends with her sister-in-law, Geri Branton. Harold Nicholas, on the other hand, did not prove to be the ideal husband. He spend most of his free time on the golf course and eventually he started seeing other women. Dorothy blamed her lack of sexual experience for Harold's wanderings. When she became pregnant, she hoped that their child was keep Harold at home. A daughter, Lynn (short for Harolyn), was born on September 2, 1943.

Dorothy appeared in a brief scene in David O. Selznick's Since You Went Away and as a singer in Pillow to Post in 1944 but she mostly devoted her time to her daughter Lynn. By the time Lynn was two, however, Dorothy could not help but notice that Lynn was not acting normally. She was a very hyper child who cried incessantly. She was not learning to talk and worse, she acted as though she did not recognize those around her. Dorothy was determined to find out what was wrong with Lynn and took her to every doctor she could find. All of them could give her no answer except to say that Lynn was retarded. Harold was often on the road touring and he did not offer much solace. Dorothy, with her marriage a shambles and a daughter who was getting out of control, began to see a therapist.

In 1949, Dorothy informed Harold that their marriage was over. Ruby and Geneva agreed to look after Lynn while Dorothy tried to re-establish her career. She still wanted to act in films but she realized that that possibility was slim. She did not relish the thought of returning to nightclubs, but felt that she had little other choice. She met with Phil Moore, an arranger she had worked with while in The Dandridge Sisters, and he was optimistic about working with her again.

Phil Moore helped Dorothy with her songs and image. The result was a smoldering and sexy Dorothy that left audiences mesmerized. Their act was booked in clubs throughout southern California and in Las Vegas. Dorothy hated doing the nightclubs, especially in Las Vegas where racism was almost as bad as in the south. She was only allowed to do her act and was forbidden to talk with patrons or use any of the hotel facilities such as the elevator, lobby, swimming pool or bath rooms. Her dressing room was often an office or a storage room.

The nightclub reviews were very good and gave her the much needed publicity that would help her get film work in Hollywood. She was offered the role of Melmendi in Tarzan's Peril in 1951. Dorothy first balked at playing a jungle queen but after reading the script she didn't think it was that bad. Next up, she played an athlete's girlfriend in the low budget but successful The Harlem Globetrotters.

She returned to the nightclub scene in May of 1951 and opened in Hollywood's top club, The Mocambo. This very successful appearance led to offers to appear in Paris (Cafe de Paris), New York (La Vie en Rose) as well as numerous guest television appearances. She was the first black woman to perform at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.



MGM planned to make an all black drama called Bright Road, which was based on a short story by Mary Elizabeth Vronam and dealt with a young schoolteacher's experiences in Alabama. Dorothy enthusiastically accepted the role and filming began in August of 1952. Her co-star was another up and coming actor named Harry Belafonte. They become very close friends. The filming of Bright Road was very rewarding to Dorothy but heartbreaking as well. She was constantly reminded of Lynn, who was now being kept by a family friend named Helen Calhoun.

Dorothy resumed her nightclub act and she also began to date again. She had brief affairs with Gerald Mayer (director of Bright Road), the actor Peter Lawford, and a millionaire from Rio de Janeiro whom she met while playing there.

Bright Road opened in April of 1953 to good reviews. Dorothy, especially, got good notices. There was a role just over the horizon that Dorothy had been dreaming of for many years. And Dorothy was determined to get it.

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Leading roles for black actors in Hollywood were very scarce so when Dorothy heard that an all black production of Carmen Jones was being planned, she knew this was the role she had dreamed of. Carmen Jones was an Americanized version of the Bizet opera with new lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein. The lead character, Carmen, is a sultry vixen whose independent inclinations to love her men and then leave them lead to her violent demise.

The project was the mastermind of Austrian director Otto Preminger. Preminger was a director who liked to take risks and he was not afraid of controversy. The previous year, he had openly defied the Production Code by filming the controversial play The Moon Is Blue and he left the racy dialog intact. When the Production Board refused to give him a rating of approval, Preminger released the film without it. Preminger also could see that black actors were underused and not given the chance to show their full potential and he wanted to do something about it. Preminger also had a reputation of being a tyrant on the set and he was often brutal with his actors.

Dorothy arranged a meeting with Preminger to discuss Carmen Jones. He knew her from her work in Bright Road and when she came to his office, he was under the impression that she was interested in the part of Cindy Lou, the sweet demure girlfriend of Harry Belafonte at the start of the film. When Dorothy informed him that she was only interested in the role of Carmen, Preminger told her that she was not right for the part. Dorothy was furious but determined to change his mind. She bought a wig, a skirt and a low cut blouse that she wore off the shoulder. She met with Preminger again and he could not believe the transformation. He had found his Carmen.

Almost immediately, however, Dorothy had doubts about her own ability to play the part. This time it was Preminger's turn to convince her that she could do it. Dorothy cooked him his favorite dinner of cold steak and cucumbers and after dinner one thing lead to another. It would be the start of a long and troubled relationship.





The filming of Carmen Jones progressed smoothly. Both Dorothy and Belafonte were disappointed to learn that their voices would be dubbed for the singing sequences. Carmen Jones was released in November of 1954 and it was a resounding success. Dorothy was all over the media. She appeared on the cover of the November 1, 1954 issue of Life, photographed as Carmen by Philippe Halsman. The next few months would be a whirlwind round of premieres, promotions and photo shoots. It was heavily rumored that she would receive an Academy Award nomination. She refused to listen to the gossip but when the nominations were announced in February of 1955, she read her name along with Audrey Hepburn, Jane Wyman, Judy Garland and Grace Kelly. Dorothy Dandridge was the first black woman to be nominated in the category of Best Actress. The buzz in Hollywood for the next month was that the winner would be either Dorothy or Judy Garland. But when the winner was announced in late March, the surprize winner was Grace Kelly for her role in The Country Girl.

Dorothy next attended the Cannes Film Festival with Preminger and then returned to the U.S. for more nightclub work as she awaited her next film offer. She did not have to wait long. She was wanted for the role of Tuptim in The King and I. Dorothy did not like the part which she considered nothing more than a slave and was further disappointed to see that it was not the leading role. Preminger advised her not to do it. She turned down the role but her decision would haunt her for the rest of her life. She later felt that her refusal to play Tuptim was the beginning of her downfall in Hollywood. The role was given to Rita Moreno and the film was a huge success.

Dorothy's success and fame changed her life tremendously. She bought a beautiful home overlooking Los Angeles and she continued to get lots of publicity. Not all of it was good. In 1957, the infamous tabloid Hollywood Confidential ran a story about an alleged one night stand between Dorothy and a bartender in Lake Tahoe. Dorothy sued them. Fame also affected Dorothy's personal life. She had not heard from her sister Vivian in over two years and she did not know where Vivan was living. She spoke to her mother every day. Ruby Dandridge was a successful character actress and was now living with another woman. Geneva had been shown the door a few years previously and when she came to Dorothy for financial help, she was refused. Dorothy would never forget her beatings from Geneva.

It seemed that Dorothy now moved in mostly white circles. Her relationship with Preminger would increasingly become strained due to the fact that he was married and they could not be seen in public together. Dorothy found that white men were especially attracted to her and would go out with her but to most of them, marriage would be out of the question. Most all men, black or white, found Dorothy to be a fascinating woman. In addition to her beauty, she was very intelligent and a wonderful conversationist. She was particularly fascinated by psychology and was constantly reading books about the subject.

It would be almost two years following the making of Carmen Jones before Dorothy set foot in front of a movie camera again. Darryl Zanuck wanted her for the role of Margot Seaton in Island In The Sun. Based on the bestselling book, the story dealt with two interracial relationships and was of course highly controversial. The two relationships would involve Dorothy's character and John Justin and between Joan Fontaine and Harry Belafonte. The producers were afraid to go far with the relationships, however, and the film suffered as a result. Dorothy herself protested that her key scene with Justin displayed no intimacy whatsoever despite that it was a love scene. The film was successful upon release due to the controversial theme, but critics dismissed it as being simply boring.

Dorothy's next project was an Italian/French production called Tamango which was more daring (Dandridge and Curt Jurgens have some steamy scenes together, on screen and off) but the film was not released in the U.S. until four years later. Today, it is considered a cult classic.

In 1959, Samuel Goldwyn announced that he would film George Gershwin's musical Porgy and Bess. The story was highly unpopular with blacks and when Harry Belafonte and Dorothy were approached to star in the lead roles, Belafonte flatly turned it down. He urged Dorothy to do the same. Dorothy did not want to do it but all she could think about was The King and I and the role that she had turned down. She was in a turmoil because here was a big budget Hollywood production. Her past two films (Tamango and The Decks Ran Red) had been low budget foreign productions and it looked as if Hollywood work was slowly eluding her. She reluctantly accepted but the entire shoot was to be an unhappy one. Director Reuben Mamoulain was replaced with none other than Otto Preminger. Their relationship was now over and Preminger was particularly harsh with Dorothy during the filming. His reprimands were often so cruel and embarrassing that she would rush from the set in tears.

Sidney Poitier and Sammy Davis, Jr. were her co-stars in the film. Porgy and Bess was not as successful as Carmen Jones and the reviews were mediocre. Dorothy managed to rise above it all, however and won a Golden Globe Award for her performance.

Dorothy did not know it but her career would be downhill from here.

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Dorothy's life seemed to unravel in late 1959. First, she met a handsome white restaurant owner named Jack Denison who pursued her relentlessly. Not many people had kind words to describe Denison and most considered him a gold digger. Dorothy, however, basked in his attentions and when he proposed, she accepted. They were married on June 22, 1959.

Dorothy was a kind and extremely giving individual and she always wanted to please everyone. When Denison asked her to perform at his restaurant, she agreed. Everyone, including her close friend and former manager, Earl Mills and her friend Geri Branton, felt that this was a terrible mistake. Mills told her that a person of her magnitude should not be performing at a small restaurant. Dorothy would only listen to her husband but unfortunately her friends were right.

Denison (left) not only took over Dorothy's career but he attempted to shut out her friends. He was also very abusive and it is known that he beat her. He was only interested in her money and he took it whenever he could. On top of this, an oil investment that Dorothy had entered into with other Hollywood stars turned out to be a scam and Dorothy lost a large amount of money. She had never handled her money very well and she always relied on other people to handle it for her. To alleviate her troubles, she began to drink heavily.

After almost two years of abuse, Dorothy finally threw Denison out of her house and filed for a divorce. She hoped that things would begin to get better but they only seemed to escalate. Helen Calhoun, whom Dorothy had been paying handsomely through the years to look after Lynn, returned Lynn when Dorothy could not longer pay her. She agonized over what to do and finally she had to have Lynn committed to a state hospital.

On April 26, 1963, she declared bankruptcy. She lost her beautiful home and found a smaller house near her friend Geri Branton. She contacted Earl Mills, who agreed to help her find work again. Dorothy had made one film after Porgy and Bess called Malaga, but it was another low budget feature which came and vanished quickly. She was later cast in a film version of Marco Polo and even shot some scenes before the project went bankrupt. She was then offered the role of a down and out jazz singer for a television series called "Cain's Hundred". The episode, Blue For A Junk Man, concerned a down and out jazz singer who is trying to restore her life after serving time in jail on drug charges. The role had many fine dramatic moments. Other scenes were shot so that a feature length version could be shown in Europe. The film version was titled The Murder Men (photo above).

Dorothy continued to drink heavily and she would call various friends at night and talk for hours about everything that was going on in her life. She was a very lonely woman and she often sounded disoriented. She was given a prescription antidepressant drug which seemed to lift her spirits. She did get nightclub work again but many critics noticed that her performances did not contain the magic that they once held.

Earl Mills worked with Dorothy to help her regain her health and put together another nightclub act. She attended a health spa in Mexico and then began a series of nightclub engagements in Mexico and Japan. She was scheduled to play again in New York but she sprained her ankle which resulted in a fracture in her foot.

On the morning of September 8, 1965, Dorothy had an appointment to have a cast put on her foot. Earl Mills called her early but she asked that he reschedule the appointment for later so that she could sleep a few more hours. Mills tried calling again later in the morning but he could get no answer. He went to Dorothy's apartment but he could not get in. He returned around 2 pm and finally forced his way in. He found Dorothy lying dead on the bathroom floor. She was nude except for a blue scarf around her head.

A few months earlier, Dorothy had given Earl a note which read "In case of my death - to whomever discovers it - don't remove anything I have on - scarf, gown or underwear. Cremate me right away. If I have anything, money, furniture, give it to my mother Ruby Dandridge. She will know what to do. Dorothy Dandridge."

Her death was first attributed to a blood clot caused by the fracture in her foot but an autopsy revealed that she had died of an overdose of Tofranil, the antidepressant that she was taking. Whether the overdose was accidental or intentional remains a mystery to this day.

Dorothy was cremated and buried at the Little Church of the Flowers at Forest Lawn.

Ruby Dandridge died in 1987. Cyril Dandridge died in 1989. Vivian Dandridge died in 1991. Dorothy's daughter, Harolyn, still lives in a California institution.