Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Dandridge (b. 1922–d. 1965) is a crucial representative figure, a historical touchstone that ensures the continual presence of Black women in the lexicon of Hollywood. In 1955, she became the first African American nominated for an Academy Award in a leading role (Best Actress, Carmen Jones, 1954). The all-Black musical, Oscar Hammerstein II’s riff on Georges Bizet’s 19th-century opera Carmen, was a breakthrough hit, and it made Dandridge an international movie star. A decade passed before Sidney Poitier crossed the color line to claim Hollywood’s most prestigious recognition (Best Actor, Lilies of the Field, 1963; awarded 1964). And it took nearly a half century for Halle Berry to achieve the milestone for African American women (Best Actress, Monster’s Ball, 2001; awarded 2002). In fact, Berry remained the only woman of color in Academy history to win an award in a leading role until 2023, when Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian American woman to be so honored (Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2022; awarded 2023). Carmen Jones catapulted Dorothy Dandridge to an unprecedented position—a Black woman poised to enter Hollywood’s pantheon of leading ladies. Dandridge possessed the requisite qualities of beauty, charisma, and competent acting ability. More importantly, she triggered the worshipful desire inspired by the screen goddess. It was no accident Dandridge rose to that rarefied position; she was ambitious and driven. An entertainer from childhood on, Dandridge sang and danced her way through virtually every performance mode available to African Americans in the first half of the twentieth century. As an adult, Dandridge poured her energy into acting; in the 1950s she was one among few African Americans among a cohort attending classes at the Actor’s Laboratory—an institution considered radical because it admitted Black students. Dandridge’s Actor’s Lab peers included Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe (with whom Dandridge was particularly close), themselves destined to become two of cinema’s legendary screen goddesses. Dorothy Dandridge possessed this same currency, but ultimately, she was unable to capitalize on her qualities and achievements. African American women did not have access to major parts in dramatic films—the roles commensurate with the position of screen goddess and leading lady. Carmen Jones was the peak of her career. Although Dandridge appeared in high-profile projects such as Island in the Sun (1957) and Porgy and Bess (1959) (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress), she struggled personally and professionally. Following her untimely death at age forty-two, Dandridge seemed to disappear from cinematic history, virtually unknown outside the realm of film scholars. She was rediscovered in the late twentieth century, reclaimed by Black women performers and studied by feminist scholars, and she has become a prominent figure in popular culture. Contemporary Hollywood celebrates Dorothy Dandridge as a potent screen goddess, a status unavailable to her during her lifetime.