Dorothy Dandridge

Description

This personal portrait portfolio and category name is called “HOLLYWOOD“. I prepared is category to show my versatility and to demonstrate my talent in portrait painting and charcoal drawings.  Most of these performers have inspired me in personality, and talent throughout my life. Anyone who are interested in a commissioned personal portrait from CobbWeb Designs and Illustrations, may get an idea of the artist’s dedication, spirituality, and talent in realism.

Dorothy Jean Dandridge born, (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She is the first African American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which was for her performance in Carmen Jones (1954).

Dandridge was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to entertainer Ruby Dandridge (née Butler; 1900–1987) and Cyril Dandridge (1895–1989), a cabinetmaker and Baptist minister. Her parents separated just before her birth. Ruby created a song-and-dance act for her two young daughters, Vivian and Dorothy, under the name The Wonder Children. The act was managed by her lover, Geneva Williams. Williams was said to have had a bad temper and to have cruelly disciplined the children. The sisters toured the Southern United States almost nonstop for five years (rarely attending school), while Ruby worked and performed in Cleveland.

In 1959, Dandridge was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Porgy and Bess. She is the subject of the 1999 HBO biographical film, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Dandridge was married and divorced twice, first to dancer Harold Nicholas (the father of her daughter, Harolyn Suzanne) and then to hotel owner Jack Denison. Dandridge died under mysterious circumstances at age 42.