Cleveland, Ohio (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) age 42 yrs

Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and singer. She was the first African American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. This nomination was for Carmen Jones (1954). Dandridge had also performed as a vocalist in venues like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. During her early career, she performed as a part of the Wonder Children. The Wonder Children were renamed The Dandridge Sisters in 1934. Dandridge and her sister were teamed with dance schoolmate Etta Jones. They appeared in a succession of films, usually in uncredited roles. In 1959, Dandridge was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Porgy and Bess. She was the subject of the 1999 biographical film ‘Introducing Dorothy Dandridge‘, with Halle Berry portraying her. She had been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.