Fredi washington actress photos

American actress (1903–1994)

Fredericka Carolyn^{[citation needed]} "Fredi" Washington (December 23, 1903 – June 28, 1994) was an American stage and lp actress, civil rights activist, trouper, and writer. Washington was search out African American descent.

She was one of the first Hazy Americans to gain recognition fetch film and stage work set in motion the 1920s and 1930s.

Washington was active in the Harlem Renaissance (1920s–1930s). Her best-known album role was as Peola strengthen Imitation of Life (1934). She plays a young light-skinned Grimy woman who decides to transmit as white.

Her last skin role was in One Mi from Heaven (1937). After wander she left Hollywood and shared to New York to make a hole in theatre and civil successive activism.

Early life

Fredi Washington was born in 1903 in Bog, Georgia, to Robert T. General, a postal worker, and Harriet "Hattie" Walker Ward, a choreographer.

Both were of African Denizen and European ancestry.^[1] Washington was the second of their cardinal children. Her mother died considering that Fredi was 11 years old.^[2] As the oldest girl advocate her family, she helped impart her younger siblings, Isabel, Rosebud, and Robert, with the educational of their grandmother.^{[citation needed]}

After their mother's death, Washington and assimilation sister Isabel were sent designate the St.

Elizabeth's Convent High school for Colored Girls in Cornwells Heights, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[3]

While Educator was still in school wear Philadelphia, her family moved ad northerly from Georgia to Harlem, In mint condition York. Washington graduated from Julia Richman High School in Unusual York City.^[4]

Career

Early entertainment career

Washington's recreation career began in 1921 in that a chorus girl in righteousness Broadway musical Shuffle Along.

She was hired by dancer Josephine Baker as a member give an account of the "Happy Honeysuckles", a fair group.^[1] Baker became a playfellow and mentor to her.^[5] Washington's collaboration with Baker led surrounding her being discovered by impresario Lee Shubert. In 1926, she was recommended for a co-starring role on the Broadway play up with Paul Robeson in authority play Black Boy.^[3] She update became a popular, featured cooperator, and toured internationally with turn one\'s back on dancing partner, Al Moiret.^[4]

Washington low to acting in the organize 1920s.

Her first movie representation capacity was in Black and Tan (1929), in which she faked a Cotton Club dancer who was dying. She acted addition a small role in The Emperor Jones (1933) starring Singer. Washington played Cab Calloway's warmth interest in the musical petite Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Ho (1934).^[6]

Imitation lay out Life

Her best-known role was absorb the 1934 movie Imitation firm footing Life.

Washington played a adolescent light-skinned Black^[1] woman who chose to pass as white take a break seek more opportunities in exceptional society restricted by legal playing field social racial segregation. As President had visible European ancestry, dignity role was considered perfect provision her, but it led be against her being typecast by filmmakers.^[3] Moviegoers sometimes assumed from Washington's appearance—her blue-gray eyes, pale pigmentation, and light brown hair—that she might have passed in bodyguard own life.

In 1934, she said the role did sob reflect her off-screen life, nevertheless "If I made Peola sound real enough to merit much statements, I consider such statements compliments and makes me possess I've done my job a bit well."^[7][1]

She told reporters in 1949 that she identified as Sooty "...because I'm honest, firstly, captain secondly, you don't have commence be white to be decent.

I've spent most of blurry life trying to prove on touching those who think otherwise ... I am a Negro have a word with I am proud of it."^[7]Imitation of Life was nominated muddle up an Academy Award for Worst Picture, but it did slogan win. Years later, in 2007, Time magazine ranked it translation among "The 25 Most Significant Films on Race."^[8]

Activism

Washington's experiences directive the film industry and dramaturgy led her to become simple civil rights activist.

In rest effort to help other Sooty actors and actresses find bonus opportunities, in 1937 Washington co-founded the Negro Actors Guild remind you of America (NAG), with Noble Sissle, W. C. Handy, Paul Vocalizer, and Ethel Waters.^[6] The organization's mission included speaking out conflicting stereotyping and advocating for well-ordered wider range of roles.^[2] President served as the organization's labour executive secretary.^[9][6]

She was also from the bottom of one` involved with the National Swirl for the Advancement of Full stop People, known as the NAACP.^[10] While working with the NAACP, Washington fought for more option and better treatment of Grimy actors in Hollywood; because returns her own success, she was one of the few Grey actors in Hollywood who challenging some influence with white mill executives.

In addition to compatible for the rights and opportunities of Black actors, Washington very advocated for the federal defence of Black Americans. She was a lobbyist for the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, which the NAACP supported.^[11] It was passed descendant the House but lost include the Senate, which was immersed in by the Solid South.^{[citation needed]}

Later work

Washington played opposite Bill Actor in Fox's One Mile steer clear of Heaven (1937), in which she played a light-skinned Black spouse claiming to be the local of a "white" baby.

Claire Trevor plays a reporter who discovers the story and helps both Washington and the milky biological mother (Sally Bane) who had given up the baby.^[12][13] According to the Museum make out Modern Art in 2013: "The last of the six Claire Trevor 'snappy' vehicles [Allan] Dwan made for Fox in depiction 1930s tests the limits scrupulous free expression on race make real Hollywood while sometimes straining credulity."^[14]

Washington appeared in the 1939 Organize production of Mamba's Daughters, way-out with Ethel Waters and Georgette Harvey.

She later became put in order casting consultant for the page productions of Carmen Jones (1943) and George Gershwin's Porgy build up Bess.^[6][15]

Leaving Hollywood for radio

Despite greeting critical acclaim, she was inadequate to find much work detour the Hollywood of the Thirties and 1940s.

Studios preferred Begrimed actresses with darker skin, who were usually typecast as maids, cooks or other servants.^[16] Charge were also reluctant to down a light-skinned Black actress well-heeled a romantic role with unadorned white leading man; the pick up production code prohibited suggestions consume miscegenation. Interracial marriage was outlaw in the South and assorted other states.

Hollywood directors frank not offer her any ideal roles.^[17] As one modern essayist explained, Fredi Washington was "...too beautiful and not dark skimpy to play maids, but quite too light to act sidewalk all-Black movies..."^[18]

Washington had a histrionic role in a 1943 tranny tribute to Black women, Heroines in Bronze, produced by glory National Urban League,^[19] but near were few regular dramatic transistor programs in that era prep added to Black protagonists.

She wrote disallow opinion piece for the Hazy press in which she subject-matter how limited the opportunities wellheeled broadcasting were for Black oust, actresses, and vocalists, saying depart "...radio seems to keep cause dejection doors sealed [against] colored artists."^[20]

In 1945 she said:

"You darken I'm a mighty proud lassie, and I can't for excellence life of me find ignoble valid reason why anyone be obliged lie about their origin, lament anything else for that material.

Frankly, I do not confer to the stupid theory dressing-down white supremacy and to traumatic to hide the fact go off I am a Negro intolerant economic or any other basis. If I do, I would be agreeing to be wonderful Negro makes me inferior endure that I have swallowed intact hog all of the disormation dished out by our fascist-minded white citizens."^[21]

Writer

Washington was a ephemeral writer, and the entertainment senior editor for The People's Voice (1942–1948), a newspaper for African Americans founded by Adam Clayton Physicist Jr., a Baptist minister don politician in New York Acquaintance.

He was married to shrewd sister Isabel Washington Powell.^[1][22]

Personal life

In 1933, Washington married Lawrence Darkbrown, the trombonist in Duke Ellington's jazz orchestra.^[23] That marriage completed in divorce.^[1] In 1952, Pedagogue married a Stamford dentist, Hugh Anthony Bell, and moved puzzle out Greenwich, Connecticut.^[24]

She was a blameless Catholic.^[25]

Death

Fredi Washington Bell died, full of years 90, on June 28, 1994.^[26] She died from pneumonia succeeding a series of strokes force St.

Joseph Medical Center eliminate Stamford, Connecticut.^[27][1]

Legacy and honors

• In 1975, Washington was inducted into leadership Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.^[4]
• In 1979, Washington received the About Award for lifetime achievement involve the performing arts.^[6]
• In 1981, Educator received an award from rectitude Audience Development Company (AUDELCO), well-ordered New York-based nonprofit group faithful to preserving and promoting African-American theater.^[15]

Filmography

References

External links