Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography

 “An ambitious, rigorously researched account of the long-ignored film star and chanteuse. . . . Bogle has fashioned a resonant history of a bygone era in Hollywood and passionately documented the contribution of one of its most dazzling and complex performers."—New York Times Book Review

In the segregated world of 1950s America, few celebrities were as talented, beautiful, glamorous, and ultimately influential as Dorothy Dandridge. Universally admired, she was Hollywood's first full-fledged Black movie star. Film historian Donald Bogle offers a panoramic portrait of Dorothy Dandridge’s extraordinary and ultimately tragic life and career, from her early years as a child performer in Cleveland, to her rise as a nightclub headliner and movie star, to her heartbreaking death at 42.

 Bogle reveals how this exceptionally talented and intensely ambitious entertainer broke down racial barriers by integrating some of America's hottest nightclubs and broke through Tinseltown’s glass ceiling. Along with her smash appearances at venues such as Harlem’s famed Cotton Club, Dorothy starred in numerous films, making history with her role in Otto Preminger’s Carmen Jones, playing opposite Harry Belafonte. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress—the first Oscar nod for a woman of color.

But Dorothy’s wealth, fame, and success masked a reality fraught with contradiction and illusion. Struggling to find good roles professionally, uncomfortable with her image as a sex goddess, coping with the aftermath of two unhappy marriages and a string of unfulfilling affairs, and overwhelmed with guilt for her disabled daughter, Dorothy found herself emotionally and financially bankrupt—despair that ended in her untimely death.

Woven from extensive research and unique interviews, as magnetic as the woman at its heart, Dorothy Dandridge captures this dazzling entertainer in all her complexity: her strength and vulnerability, her joy and her pain, her trials and her triumphs.

This definitive biography reveals the trailblazing life and tragic heartbreak of a Hollywood icon:

• A Hollywood Pioneer: Follow Dorothy Dandridge as she integrates America's hottest nightclubs and breaks down racial barriers in the segregated world of 1950s Tinseltown.
• The First Black Best Actress Nominee: Go behind the scenes of the iconic film Carmen Jones, the role that made Dorothy the first woman of color to be nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award.
• Golden Age of Hollywood: Explore the dazzling and dangerous world of classic Hollywood, from the famed Cotton Club to film sets with stars like Harry Belafonte and directors like Otto Preminger.
• The Price of Fame: Discover the hidden struggles behind the glamour—two unhappy marriages, unfulfilling affairs, and the guilt she carried for her disabled daughter that led to her untimely death at 42.
• Definitive and Deeply Researched: Based on extensive research and unique interviews by acclaimed film historian Donald Bogle, this biography captures the dazzling entertainer in all her complexity.