Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Jean Dandridge was an American actress and singer. She was the first African American to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Carmen Jones (1954), a performance which also earned her a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress. Dandridge had also performed as a vocalist in venues such as the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater. During her early career, she performed as a part of the Wonder Children, later the Dandridge Sisters, and appeared in a succession of films, usually in uncredited roles.