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01
She was the first choice to play Cleopatra in the 1963 film, but the role went to Elizabeth Taylor.
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02
Lena Horne referred to Dorothy Dandridge as our Marilyn Monroe.
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03
She was the first African-American woman to appear on the cover of Life magazine.
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04
She is now thought to have suffered from manic-depression, also referred to as bipolar disorder.
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05
Although she was a top-notch nightclub and cabaret singer, she despised that work.
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06
She was involved with Rat Packer and actor Peter Lawford, who attended her funeral.
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07
The New York Times reported in September 1965 that her death was caused by an embolism from bone marrow particles of a fractured metatarsal bone, but the Los Angeles medical examiner attributed it to an overdose of the antidepressant Tofranil.
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08
She delivered her only child, Harolynn Suzanne Nicholas, via forceps at age 20 on September 2, 1943; the father was her first husband Harold Nicholas. Harolynn was born with a brain injury and reportedly died in 2003.
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09
Halle Berry, who portrayed Dandridge in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge 1999, became the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
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10
She suffered from near-paralyzing stage fright whenever she had to perform.
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11
She turned down the role of Tuptim in The King and I 1956 on the advice of Otto Preminger not to accept a supporting role; Rita Moreno was cast instead. The biopic suggests she refused because the character was a slave.
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12
She was considered for the role of Billie Holiday in a film, but the project did not materialize in her lifetime; when it did, Diana Ross played the role.
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13
She became pregnant by her lover Otto Preminger and underwent an abortion in March 1957.
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14
Her best friend was Geraldine Pate Nicholas Branton, former wife of Fayard Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers tap duo.
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15
She loved soul food, especially chitterlings and greens, which she ate only once a week.
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16
In September 2020, she was honored as Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month. For her 100th birthday on November 9, 2022, TCM celebrated with a day of her films, and she was cited in nationwide Born on This Day columns.
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17
Madame Sul-Te-Wan was often rumored to be her real-life grandmother, likely because she played Dandridge’s grandmother in Carmen Jones 1954.
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18
She was the younger sister of Vivian Dandridge.
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19
She was a lifelong Democrat.
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20
In February 1955, Cecil B. DeMille offered her the role of Princess Tharbis in The Ten Commandments 1956, but she turned it down on Otto Preminger’s advice to only take leading roles; the role went to UCLA student Esther Brown.
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21
She was the daughter of Ruby Dandridge.
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22
She is one of 27 actresses to have received an Academy Award nomination for a musical performance, hers being Carmen Jones 1954. The list includes Grace Moore, Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, and Jennifer Hudson.
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23
She was the great aunt of actress Nayo Wallace.
