Sheila Guyse
| Sheila Guyse | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Etta Drucille Guyse July 14, 1925 Forest, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | December 28, 2013 (aged 88) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Alzheimer's disease |
| Nationality | African-American |
| Other names | Shelia Guyse Jackson |
| Occupation | Actress, Singer |
| Spouse(s) | Shelby Irving Miller (divorced); Kenneth Davis (divorced); Joseph Jackson (1958 till his death in 2012) |
| Children | Sheila Crystal Miller; Deidre Jean Jackson and Michael Jackson |
| Parent(s) | Wilbert and Ethel "Williams" Guyse |
Etta Drucille Guyse, known as Sheila Guyse (July 14, 1925 – December 28, 2013), was a popular African-American singer, actress, and recording artist, performing on stage and screen during the 1940s and 1950s.
Sheila Guyse was born on July 14, 1925, in Forest, Mississippi. She moved with her parents in 1945 to New York City, where she worked at a dime store on 125th Street, across from the Apollo Theater.
Guyse first got her start in show business by performing in amateur shows, as was common among black performers. She made nightclub debut in 1945 at Club Zombie in Detroit.
She was often compared to Dorothy Dandridge and it has been said that some critics thought Guyse was a better actress than the more well-known Dandridge. It may be argued that if Sheila had been allowed the opportunity to make an impact in the Hollywood cinema, she would have been stiff competition for the more established actress.
Guyse had a sultry "girl-next-door" appeal which she showcased in three independent all-Black films (so-called "race films") of the late 1940s: Boy! What a Girl! (1947), Sepia Cinderella (1947, co-starring with Billy Daniels), and Miracle in Harlem (1948) giving impressive performances in all of them. She also appeared in the "Harlem Follies of 1949" and in a 1957 television adaptation of the play The Green Pastures.
Guyse was not an experienced or trained actress but she was a natural talent. She made her Broadway debut in the stage production Memphis Bound, which opened in 1945. She was selected to play the female lead opposite Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. The show closed after 36 performances. She also appeared in the Broadway stage productions Lost in the Stars and Finian's Rainbow, which were both long-running. Lost in the Stars won a Outer Circle Critics Award. Guyse contributed to cast recordings for these productions, and her singing voice was said to be as beautiful as she was: divine, sweet, easy on the ears whether singing jazz, pop, or gospel.
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