Pearl Bailey: Movies & Box Office

Pearl Bailey (born Pearl Mae Bailey, 1918‑03‑29 – 1990‑08‑17) was a groundbreaking American actress, singer, comedian, and author whose career spanned more than five decades, beginning in the mid‑1930s and ending shortly before her death in 1989. Born in Newport News, Virginia, she moved as a child to Washington, D.C., and later to Philadelphia where she sang in church choirs before winning an amateur contest at the Pearl Theatre at age fifteen; the win launched her into the vibrant black nightclub circuit of the 1930s. During World War II she toured with the USO, entertaining troops, and after the war settled in New York where she shared stages with legends such as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, earning a Donaldson Award for her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman (1946). Her rendition of “Takes Two to Tango” cracked the top ten in 1952, and a few years later she captured a Special Tony Award for her title role in the all‑black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968, a performance that helped revitalize the long‑running musical. Bailey also made history in 1976 as the first African‑American recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and was later honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988. Beyond the stage, she hosted The Pearl Bailey Show in 1971, voiced beloved animated characters such as Big Mama in Disney’s The Fox and the Hound, and authored several books including The Raw Pearl and Between You and Me. A devoted New York Mets fan, she sang national anthems at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium during World Series games, and she earned a theology degree from Georgetown University at age 67, proving her lifelong dedication to learning and public service. Her legacy endures through numerous honors, a library in Newport News bearing her name, and a dress displayed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.