Fredi Washington

Biography

Fredi Washington was an American stage and film actress and writer. She started out in 1921 as a chorus dancer in the Broadway show Shuffle Along. In 1926 she appeared opposite Paul Robeson in the Broadway play Black Boy. She made her film debut in Black and Tan (1929), and she had a small part in The Emperor Jones (1933) opposite Robeson. She became best known as Peola in Imitation of Life (1934), a light-skinned Black woman who passes as white; the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. After her last film role in One Mile from Heaven (1937), she returned to New York for theater work, appeared in the 1939 Broadway production Mamba's Daughters, and was a casting consultant for Carmen Jones (1943) and Porgy and Bess. Her honors included induction into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1975 and a 1979 CIRCA Award for lifetime achievement. She died in 1994.

90years old at death

Born December 23, 1903Savannah
Died June 28, 1994Stamford
Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
Also credited as Fredi Carolyn Washington and Fredericka Carolyn Washington

Movie Career

Films: 4
Career span: 5 years1929 to 1934

Every film, newest first

1934Imitation of LifeIMDb rating 7.5
1933Emperor JonesIMDb rating 6.4
1930Animal CrackersIMDb rating 7.4
1929The LetterIMDb rating 6.6

Genres

Did you know?!

First role
Washington's career in entertainment started in 1921, when she was a chorus girl in Shuffle Along, a musical staged on Broadway.
First role
Washington was hired by the dancer Josephine Baker to be part of the "Happy Honeysuckles", a cabaret group. Over time, Baker became both a friend and a mentor to her.
Behind the camera
Washington went on to serve as a casting consultant for the stage versions of Carmen Jones (1943) and George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.