Pearl Bailey
| Pearl Bailey | |
|---|---|
Bailey c. 1960
|
|
| Born |
Pearl Mae Bailey March 29, 1918 Southampton County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | August 17, 1990 (aged 72) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Arteriosclerotic coronary artery disease |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1936–1989 |
| Spouse(s) |
John Randolph Pinkett (m. 1948–52) Louie Bellson (m. 1952–90) |
Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968. In 1986, she won a Daytime Emmy award for her performance as a fairy godmother in the ABC Afterschool Special, Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale.
Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952. She received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1976 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom on October 17, 1988.
Bailey was born in Southampton County in southeastern Virginia, to the Reverend Joseph James and Ella Mae Ricks Bailey. She was raised in the Bloodfields neighborhood of Newport News, Virginia.
She made her stage-singing debut when she was 15 years old. Her brother Bill Bailey was beginning his own career as a tap dancer, and suggested she enter an amateur contest at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia. Bailey won and was offered $35 a week to perform there for two weeks. However, the theatre closed during her engagement and she was not paid. She later won a similar competition at Harlem's famous Apollo Theater and decided to pursue a career in entertainment.
Bailey began by singing and dancing in Philadelphia's black nightclubs in the 1930s, and soon started performing in other parts of the East Coast. In 1941, during World War II, Bailey toured the country with the USO, performing for American troops. After the tour, she settled in New York. Her solo successes as a nightclub performer were followed by acts with such entertainers as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. In 1946, Bailey made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman. For her performance, she won a Donaldson Award as the best Broadway newcomer. Bailey continued to tour and record albums in between her stage and screen performances. Bailey's most important Broadway role was as Dolly Levi in the all-black version of Hello Dolly! Early in the television medium, Bailey guest starred on CBS's Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town. She hosted her own variety series on ABC, The Pearl Bailey Show (January–May 1971).
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