Fredi Washington
Actor
1903 - 1994
Profession
ActorDancer
Hometown
Savannah, GA
Overview
Fredi Washington is best remembered for her performance as Peola, a light-skinned Black woman who passes as white, in Imitation of Life (1934). Like her character, Washington probably could have worked more frequently in segregated Hollywood by pretending to be white. Unlike her character, though, her immense pride in her race led her only to take roles she viewed as uplifting—which, unfortunately, vastly diminished her career prospects. Washington’s final film appeared in 1937, but she would go on to become an arts writer and editor for the newspaper People’s Voice, and a civil rights activist.
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About the Filmography
The selected filmography for the years 1897–1971 includes works featured in the exhibition and others that are considered historically, socially, or politically relevant. Hollywood productions are generally excluded; the focus is instead on independent films, particularly the work of Black filmmakers. Black Academy Award nominees and winners are noted. This filmography was compiled using the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and various filmographies, including those by Klotman, Richards, and Hyatt. Primary production materials and contemporaneous film reviews were also consulted. Complete credits for many of the films are unavailable. All films are US productions unless otherwise noted, and distribution credits refer to the original distributors.