06/02/2024
These are actresses from the 1950s. Hollywood started to adapt to the changing times and social narratives, and Black actors were earning better roles than the stereotypical ones that plagued them in previous decades. However, the number of all-black cast films produced during the 1950s was the lowest compared to prior decades.
1. Eartha Kitt started appearing in movies in the late 40s but earned her first significant role in "Mark of the Hawk" (1957). Throughout the 50s, she appeared on several TV shows as a specialty act and starred in her first leading role in "Anna Lucasta" (1958).
2. Dorothy Dandridge was a rising star in the 40s, but her stardom was in the 1950s. Her first leading role was in "Bright Road" (1953) with Harry Belafonte. Her signature film was "Carmen Jones" (1954), where she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actresses.
3. Pearl Bailey first appeared in movies in the late 40s, but her shining moment in film was in "Carmen Jones." Bailey was an excellent singer and actress, appearing in four films during the 50s, including "St. Louis Blues" (1958) and "Porgy & Bess" (1959).
4. Ruby Dee's first acting credit was in 1946 when she appeared in Race Films (independent films with an all-black cast). However, in the 50s, Ruby Dee's career rose to another level, starring with Jackie Robinson in "The Jackie Robinson Story" (1950) and the first film with her husband Ossie Davis in "No Way Out" (1950). She appeared in several movies with Sidney Poitier, including "Edge of the City" (1957).
5. Diahann Carroll's acting debut was in "Carmen Jones" (1954), playing alongside Dorothy Dandridge and Pearl Bailey. She also starred in "Porgy & Bess" (1959) but only had three acting credits in the 50s.
6. Ellen Holly was primarily known for the soap opera career in "One Life to Live." However, her first movie appearance was in "Take a Giant Step" (1958), where she had a minor part conversing with Johnny Nash.
7. Juanita Moore was appearing in movies as early as the 1930s. She was primarily a specialty act, either singing or dancing, which lasted through the 40s. In the 1950s, Moore earned more speaking parts in movies, having 27 acting credits. Most of her parts were stereotypical, but her breakout movie was "Imitation of Life" (1959), where she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
8. Kim Hamilton starred in many TV shows throughout her career, but her first movie appearance was in "Somethin of Value" (1957). She also starred in the classic noir film "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959) with Harry Belafonte.
9. Marpessa Dawn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spent her early life in the U.S. before moving to Europe, where she began her acting career in the mid-50s. Her breakout role was the Afro-Brazillian film "Black Orpheus" (1959), where she played the love interest for lead actor Breno Mello.
