Style Flashback: Dorothy Dandridge

Dorethy Dandridge has many “firsts” under her belt. She was the first African American actress to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actress category; the first African American to perform at the Las Vegas Fronteir and Waldolf-Astoria; and she was the first African American to appear on the front cover of Life magazine. Her career started in Ohio where she performed with two of her sisters in the group “The Dandridge Sisters.” She eventually went solo when her family moved to LA. Dandridge landed bit roles in movies where she got the chance to showcase her acting and singing skills although all of her early roles were stereotypical. Her singing ability however, brought her popularity in nightclubs around the country. In fact, her singing provided a fallback career when acting roles dried up. In 1957, she starred in “Island in the Sun” which was controversial for its portrayal of an interracial romance, this lead to one of her many acting “dry spells.” She did however receive a Golden Globe nomination for her role alongside Sidney Poitier in “Porgy and Bess.” Despite her many accolades Dandridge suffered many hardships including being sexually abused by her mother’s lesbian partner, declaring bankruptcy, enduring physical abuse from her husband, and facing ongoing racism in Hollywood. Dandridge was found dead in her West Hollywood apartment on September 8, 1965 at the age of 43. Rumor has it she died of an accidental overdose due to depression.