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Who Else? Dorothy Dandridge

by Brittany Bauer

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Dorothy was an actress, just like her mom, Ruby. But Dorothy was also a singer and a dancer. When she was only four years old, she and her sister, Vivian, performed song and dance routines. Their group was called “The Wonder Children,” and they traveled all over the southern United States. They performed their routines at schools, churches, and parties.

When Dorothy and Vivian were older, they changed their group’s name to “The Dandridge Sisters.” The sisters traveled all over, performing at many places, including the Apollo Theatre. In the 1930s, Dorothy and her family moved to Los Angeles and she got to act in movies. She did so well in one movie that she was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Dorothy was the first African American woman to be nominated for that award.

Dorothy Dandridge was a very interesting person and talented actress; some people thought she was so special that they made a movie about her life and her job as an actress.

Author

Editorial assistant Brittany Bauer graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in June 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in English. Writing and reading are her two greatest passions, so you can usually find her with a pen in her hand or her nose in a book. She enjoys almost all fiction, memoirs, and anything about the Tudor dynasty or Renaissance art.