Pearl Bailey
Biography
Pearl Bailey was an American singer, actress, comedian, and author who got her start singing and dancing in Philadelphia nightclubs in the 1930s before touring with the USO during World War II. Born in Newport News, Virginia, she settled in New York and performed in nightclubs alongside Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. Her Broadway debut came in St. Louis Woman in 1946, and she won a Donaldson Award as best Broadway newcomer. She appeared in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), That Certain Feeling (1956), Porgy and Bess (1959), The Landlord (1970), and The Fox and the Hound (1981). She headlined an all-Black production of Hello, Dolly! and received a special Tony Award in 1968. Bailey hosted The Pearl Bailey Show on ABC in 1971 and won a Daytime Emmy in 1986. The Screen Actors Guild gave her its Life Achievement Award in 1976, making her the first African American recipient. She died in 1990.
72years old at death
- Born Newport News
- Died Philadelphia
- Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
- Also credited as Pearl Mae Bailey
Movie Career
- Films
- 5
- Career span
- 27 years1954 to 1981
Every film, newest first
- 1981The Fox and the HoundIMDb rating 7.2
- 1970The LandlordIMDb rating 6.9
- 1959Porgy and BessIMDb rating 6.9
- 1956That Certain FeelingIMDb rating 6.3
- 1954Carmen JonesIMDb rating 6.7
Genres
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A first
In 1976, Pearl Bailey became the first African American to receive the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, a milestone in her acting career.
Behind the award
Bailey received a special Tony Award for her title role in the all-Black Hello, Dolly!, which producer David Merrick moved to Broadway after a successful tour.
Pearl Bailey movies on Netflix
Most often with
Otto Preminger directed two of these films. Three actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Brock Peters's page
Diahann Carroll's page
Dorothy Dandridge's page
All films by Otto Preminger
Awards
Five awards and honors from 1976 to 1988, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| Daytime Emmy Award | Won | ||
| SAG Awards | |||
| Life Achievement Award | Won | ||
| Other honors | |||
| 1988 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Won | |
| 1976 | Coretta Scott King Award | Won | |
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.