Pearl Bailey

Pearl Bailey
Bailey c. 1946
Born
Pearl Mae Bailey

(1918-03-29)March 29, 1918
DiedAugust 17, 1990(1990-08-17) (aged 72)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, author
Years active1936–1989
Spouses
John Randolph Pinkett
(m. 1948⁠–⁠1952)
(m. 1952)
Children2

Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer and author.[1] After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946.[2] She received a Special 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.[3]

In 1976, she became the first African-American to receive the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.[4] She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on October 17, 1988.

  1. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 26/7. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  2. ^ "Who's Who in Musicals: A to Ba". Musicals101.com. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  3. ^ Bergman, Peter J. (June 30, 2021). "Two to Tango: Rashidra Scott plays Pearl Bailey in 'Ambassador of Love'". The Berkshire Edge. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).