Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

About Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

"Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" is an American television film that premiered in 1999. It tracks the rise of Dorothy Dandridge, one of the first highly recognized African American actresses in Hollywood. The film touches on her life, love affairs, career rise and unexpected fall. After facing numerous racial barriers, she finally gets a breakthrough and becomes the first African American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Making / Production

The film was a HBO production directed by Martha Coolidge and written by Shonda Rhimes and Scott Abbott. It was based on the book "Dorothy Dandridge" by Earl Mills. The production aimed to echo the aesthetics of the 1940s and 1950s Hollywood.

Actors

• Halle Berry portrays Dorothy Dandridge, showcasing her complex character with a remarkable balance of vulnerability and glamour.
• Brent Spiner beautifully transforms into Earl Mills, Dandridge's dedicated and supportive manager.
• Klaus Maria Brandauer plays the role of Otto Preminger, Dandridge's strict and controversial director and lover.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• Halle Berry didn't know how to swim and had to use a body double for the swimming pool scenes.
• The film was shot in just 33 days.
• Brent Spiner sang his own rendition of "That Old Black Magic" in the film.

Awards

"Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" won five Primetime Emmy Awards. Halle Berry won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Quotes

• "I have one thing to say to the Cotton Club and the Sahara Club and any other club that won't book Dorothy Dandridge: Thank you." - Dorothy Dandridge (Halle Berry)
• "You can't let people and how they react dictate what goes on in here." - Earl Mills (Brent Spiner)

Music, Soundtrack

• "Blues in the Night" by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer
• "That Old Black Magic" by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer
• "I Got Rhythm" by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin