Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey was born in Newport News, Virginia, United States on March 29th, 1918 and is the Stage Actress. At the age of 72, Pearl Bailey biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, movies, and networth are available.
At 72 years old, Pearl Bailey physical status not available right now. We will update Pearl Bailey's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.
Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress and singer.
After appearing in vaudeville she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946.
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. Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952.
She received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1976 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom on October 17, 1988.
Early life
Bailey was born in Newport News, Virginia to the Reverend Joseph James and Ella Mae Ricks Bailey. She was raised in the Bloodfields neighborhood of Newport News and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in nearby Norfolk, the first city in the region to offer higher education for black students. Blues singer Ruth Brown was one of her classmates. Bailey later moved to Philadelphia with her mother and siblings.
Bailey made her stage-singing debut at the age of 15. Her brother Bill Bailey was beginning his own career as a tap dancer and suggested that she enter an amateur contest at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia. Bailey won and was offered $35 a week to perform there for two weeks. However, the theater closed during her engagement and she was not paid. She later won a similar competition at Harlem's famous Apollo Theater and decided to pursue a career in entertainment. She was also known to have performed in the church choir at St Peter Claver Catholic Church in Brooklyn, at the behest of Msgr Bernard J. Quinn.
Personal life
Bailey went through a number of failed marriages in her earlier adult years. She married John Randolph Pinkett, either her third or fourth husband, when she was 30 years old, and divorced him four years later, accusing him of physical abuse.
On November 19, 1952, Bailey married jazz drummer Louie Bellson in London. They remained married until her death nearly 38 years later in 1990. Bellson was six years Bailey's junior and white. Interracial couples were rare at that time, and Bellson's father was reportedly opposed to the marriage because of Bailey's race.
They later adopted a son, Tony, in the mid-1950s. A daughter, Dee Dee J. Bellson, was born April 20, 1960. Tony Bellson died in 2004. Dee Dee Bellson died on July 4, 2009, at the age of 49, five months after her father, who died on February 14.
Bailey, a Republican, was appointed by President Richard Nixon as the nation'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.
She was awarded the Bronze Medallion in 1968, the highest award conferred upon civilians by New York City.
Bailey was a close friend of actress Joan Crawford. In 1969, Crawford and Bailey joined fellow friend Gypsy Rose Lee in accepting a USO award. That same year, Bailey was recognized as USO's woman of the year. Upon Crawford's death in May 1977, Bailey spoke of Crawford as her sister and sang a hymn at her funeral. American socialite Perle Mesta was another of Bailey's close friends. In the waning days of Mesta's life, Bailey visited Mesta frequently and sang hymns for her.
Career
Bailey began performing and dancing in Philadelphia's black nightclubs in the 1930s and then began to perform in other parts of the East Coast. Bailey, who served with the USO in 1941, toured the country during World War II. She landed in New York after the tour. Her solo appearances as a nightclub entertainer were followed by performances by Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. Bailey made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She received a Donaldson Award as the best newcomer in Broadway for her appearance. Bailey's stage and screen appearances continued to tour and record albums as well as her live and film appearances. Bailey guest appeared on CBS's Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town early in the television medium.
Lynne Carter, a female impersonator, credited Bailey with his success.
Bailey and Cab Calloway produced an all-black cast version of Hello, Dolly! The touring version was so popular that producer David Merrick took it to Broadway, where it sold-out houses and revived the long-running musical. Bailey was given a special Tony Award for her work, and RCA Victor released a second original-cast album, the only recording of the score to have an overture written specifically for the recording.
Bailey, a lifelong fan of the New York Mets, performed the national anthem at Shea Stadium prior to Game 5 of the 1969 World Series and appeared in a World Series highlight film demonstrating her love for the team. At Yankee Stadium, she also sang the national anthem before Game 1 of the 1981 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Bailey's own variety series on ABC (January – May 1971), which featured many celebrities, including Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong (one of his last appearances before his death).
She appeared in animations such as Tubby the Tuba (1976) and Disney's The Fox and the Hound (1981) following her 1971 television appearance. She appeared in a all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1975, she appeared in a first-time Broadway revival. Betty Ford invited Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to attend a White House state dinner as part of the Mideast peace campaign in October 1975.
She earned a degree in theology from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1985 at the age 67. Her degree was earned in seven years. She was a student of philosopher Wilfrid Desan at Georgetown University.
Bailey performed "Bill Bailey" (Won't You Come Home) later in her career, becoming a fixture in a line of Duncan Hines commercials. She has appeared in commercials for Jell-O, Westinghouse, and She also appeared in commercials for Jell-O, She has appeared in commercials for Jell-O, Westinghouse, and She has appeared in Jell-O, Westinghouse,
Bailey wrote several books in later years, including The Raw Pearl (1968), Talking to Myself (1971), Pearl's Kitchen (1973), and Hurry Up America and Spit (1976). President Gerald Ford named her special ambassador to the United Nations in 1975, a position she held under three presidents. Between You and Me (1989), her last book, discusses her experiences with higher education. She appeared on a nationally broadcast gala on January 19, 1985, the night before Ronald Reagan's second inauguration. President Reagan gave Bailey the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988.