Pearl Bailey, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Pearl Bailey
Acting

Pearl Bailey
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1918-03-29,Newport News, Virginia, USA
Gender
Female
Biography
Pearl Mae Bailey, born in Virginia on March 29, 1918, was an American actress and singer. 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. Bailey continued to tour and record albums in between her stage and screen performances. Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952. On November 19, 1952, Bailey married jazz drummer Louie Bellson in London. They adopted a child, Tony, in the mid-1950s, and subsequently a girl, Dee Dee J. Bellson, born April 20, 1960. In 1954, she took the role of Frankie in the film version of Carmen Jones, and her rendition of "Beat Out That Rhythm on the Drum" is one of the highlights of the film. She also starred in the Broadway musical House of Flowers. In 1959, she played the role of Maria in the film version of Porgy and Bess, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. Also that year, she played the role of "Aunt Hagar" in the movie St. Louis Blues, alongside Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, and Nat King Cole. Though she was originally considered for the part of Annie Johnson in the 1959 film Imitation of Life, the part went to Juanita Moore. A passionate fan of the New York Mets, Bailey sang the national anthem at Shea Stadium prior to game 5 of the 1969 World Series, and appears in the Series highlight film showing her support for the team. She also sang the national anthem prior to game 1 of the 1981 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Bailey, a Republican, was appointed by President Richard Nixon as America's "Ambassador of Love" in 1970. She attended several meetings of the United Nations and later appeared in a campaign ad for President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. Also during the 1970s she had her own television show, and she also provided voices for animations such as Tubby the Tuba (1976) and Disney's The Fox and the Hound (1981). She returned to Broadway in 1975, playing the lead in an all-black production of Hello, Dolly!. At age 67, she earned a B.A. in theology from GeorgetownUniversity in Washington, D.C., in 1985. Later in her career, Bailey was a fixture as a spokesperson in a series of Duncan Hines commercials, singing "Bill Bailey (Won't You Come Home)". In her later years Bailey wrote several books: The Raw Pearl (1968), Talking to Myself (1971), Pearl's Kitchen (1973), and Hurry Up America and Spit (1976). In 1975 she was appointed special ambassador to the United Nations by President Gerald Ford. Her last book, Between You and Me (1989), details her experiences with higher education. In 1988 Bailey received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan. On August 17, 1990, Bailey died of heart condition. She is buried at RollingGreenMemorial Park in West Chester, Pennsylvania. During her lifetime, 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.

Filmography

6.1

Porgy and Bess
1959-06-24

The Fox and the Hound

7.1

The Fox and the Hound
1981-07-10

5.8

The Landlord
1970-05-20

6.041

Carmen Jones
1954-10-28

Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale

0

Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale
1985-10-09

Norman... Is That You?

5.3

Norman... Is That You?
1976-09-29

4.6

Peter Gunn
1989-04-23

All the Fine Young Cannibals

5.3

All the Fine Young Cannibals
1960-09-15

6.1

Variety Girl
1947-08-29

That Certain Feeling

5.3

That Certain Feeling
1956-06-04

Isn't It Romantic?

7

Isn't It Romantic?
1948-10-06

9

Satan Claus
2010-01-01

0

Tubby the Tuba
1975-04-30

The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s

0

The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s
2002-10-13

The Member of the Wedding

5

The Member of the Wedding
1982-12-20

Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life

0

Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
1981-04-26

Bing Crosby: Rediscovered

7

Bing Crosby: Rediscovered
2014-12-02

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

4

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004-01-01

St. Louis Blues

7.8

St. Louis Blues
1958-04-07

The World of Nat King Cole

0

The World of Nat King Cole
2004-06-15

Great Broadway Musical Moments from the Ed Sullivan Show

0

Great Broadway Musical Moments from the Ed Sullivan Show
2003-07-22

Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey: On Broadway

8

Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey: On Broadway
1969-03-16

Passing the Baton: The Making of The Fox and the Hound

6

Passing the Baton: The Making of The Fox and the Hound
2003-10-10

Night of 100 Stars

6.5

Night of 100 Stars
1982-03-08

0

One More Time
1974-01-10

6.3

The Love Boat
1977-09-24

6.5

Donny & Marie
1976-01-23

The Muppet Show

8.019

The Muppet Show
1976-09-05

Your Show of Shows

5.5

Your Show of Shows
1950-02-25

The Flip Wilson Show

4.765

The Flip Wilson Show
1970-09-17

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

5.3

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956-10-05

The Steve Allen Show

5

The Steve Allen Show
1956-06-24

6.9

The Oscars
1953-03-19

The Mike Douglas Show

5.1

The Mike Douglas Show
1961-12-11

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

7.4

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962-10-01

The Ed Sullivan Show

6.6

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948-06-20

The Pearl Bailey Show

0

The Pearl Bailey Show
1971-01-23

0

The Big Party
1959-10-08

The Carol Burnett Show

7.6

The Carol Burnett Show
1967-09-11

4.6

Tony Awards
1956-04-01

4.6

Tony Awards
1956-04-01

The Dick Cavett Show

6.625

The Dick Cavett Show
1968-06-06

What's My Line?

6.8

What's My Line?
1950-02-02

The Danny Kaye Show

6.3

The Danny Kaye Show
1963-09-25

The Mike Douglas Show

5.1

The Mike Douglas Show
1961-12-11

The Mike Douglas Show

5.1

The Mike Douglas Show
1961-12-11