Dorothy Dandridge is a name that’s hard to forget. It has that certain touch of Hollywood glamour, that one-of-a-kind ring that just rolls off the tongue. It was a name destined for stardom, but it wasn’t always as easy as that.
Dorothy Dandridge was an African-American entertainer during the 1940s and 50s. She spent her career singing in clubs as well as acting in movies. However, because of the color of her skin, her talent was not widely recognized.
The movie that put her on the map was 20th Century Fox’s 1953 remake of Carmen, an opera originally written by Georges Bizet in the late 1800s. The movie starred an all-black cast, which was unheard of in the industry at the time. While the director doubted her ability to pull off a provocative and promiscuous lead, Dandridge was determined to get the part of Carmen.
She did, and her portrayal Carmen would earn her the honor of being the first African-American actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1955, alongside the likes of Grace Kelly, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, and Jane Wyman. Although the award was lost to Grace Kelly, this was a huge gain for African-American entertainers who were trying to gain momentum in a white-dominated field.
While her professional life was filled with success, Dandridge’s personal life was equally filled with heartache and tragedy. Not only did she have to constantly battle racism, but she also had to power through toxic relationships.
Dandridge was born on Nov. 9, 1922, to a humble home in Cleveland, Ohio. Leaving her father behind, Dandridge, her mom, and her sisters moved to Los Angeles 8 years later in hopes of launching the daughters’ singing career.
The sisters together made up the group ‘the Dandridge Sisters’. The sisters sang at many notable clubs, one being the Cotton Club in Harlem. Although they were slowly climbing the ladder to fame, they were not immune to the segregation. They often could not use the same restrooms and entrances as whites did.
Dandridge starred in a few small movies after the Dandridge Sisters’ short run before marrying her first husband, Harold Nicholas. The relationship was not good. Nicholas could not stay faithful, and the final blow to their relationship unfortunately came with the birth of their first and only daughter together, Harolyn. Harolyn was born with severe brain damage and needed constant assistance because of her disabilities. The couple divorced in 1951.
After the divorce, Dandridge placed Harolyn in private care. Dandridge then set out to conquer the world as a solo act. She gained much success during this time and was able to tour all over the world in cities like London and Rio de Janeiro.
Her next big gig was Carmen, during which she became romantically involved with the director, Otto Preminger. Their romance was not accepted, seeing as they were interracial, so they had to keep the whole ordeal very secretive. As a result, the relationship suffered and Preminger just could not openly admit to being involved with a black woman.
Dandridge had many white lovers, including her second husband Jack Denison. The relationship, as the ones before, was not ideal. Denison drained her financially and emotionally, by losing her money in his failing restaurant and enduring verbal abuse.
After Carmen, Dandridge could not land respectable lead roles. With each role that was presented to her, directors, writers, and producers tried to pass her off as another race, cast her as a sex symbol, or the worst, cast her as a slave. One of her last notable roles was in Island in the Sun in 1957, where she worked alongside Henry Belafonte and Joan Fontaine, but it was not a well-received film.
As her career fell, so did her mental health. Dandridge developed alcoholism and had to start taking anti-depressants. Since her income was not as it used to be, she could not afford to keep Harolyn in private care, and eventually she was taken away to a state facility.
Dandridge’s life came to a close on Sept. 8, 1965, when she was found dead in her home as a result of drug overdose.
Dandridge’s life was one full of scandal and sorrow, but there is one thing that is positive. She paved the way for other struggling African-American actresses. She was the first out of many to grace the big screen as a woman of color. Dandridge may have lost the award for Best Actress back then, but her impact has allowed the leading ladies of today, Zoe Saldana, Halle Berry, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Kerry Washington, to have the dominance and influence that they have.
Halle Berry portrayed Dandridge in her candid and eye-opening biography Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which premiered on TV in 1999.
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