Pearl Bailey
Actor
1918 - 1990
Profession
ActorSinger
Hometown
Newport News, VA
Overview
A preacher’s daughter, contralto Pearl Bailey attributed her voice's warm, rich tone to singing in church choir as a child. She was encouraged to pursue show business by her brother, tap dancer Bill Bailey, and was a popular nightclub singer and vaudeville performer throughout the 1930s and 1940s, touring with the USO during World War II. Bailey was a fixture on the silver screen as well, appearing in most of the 1950s’ Black-cast musicals, including Carmen Jones (1954), St. Louis Blues (1958), and Porgy and Bess (1959).
Select Filmography
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.