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| Birth Name(s) : Frida Josephine McDonald |
Date of Birth: June 3, 1906 |
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N/A
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Partner:
N/A |
| Profession:
Actor |
Official Site
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Full Josephine Baker Biography
Born to Carrie McDonald, a laundress, and Eddie Carson, a musician, Josephine's early life hinted at her future career. She first danced for the public on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and dimes. Later, she became a chorus girl on the St. Louis stage. At 15, she married a Pullman porter named Baker, but left him when she ran away from St. Louis at age 17, feeling there was too much racial discrimination in the city.
Her first job in Paris was in La revue negre. Her next significant job was at the Folies bergere, where she was a member of their all-black revue. It was at the Folies bergere, in 1925, that she first performed her famous banana dance. She quickly became a favorite of the French, and her fame grew.
She had many ups and downs during her career. Although popular in France, during the McCarthy era she was told that she was no longer welcome in the United States. In 1937 she renounced her American citizenship and became a citizen of France. In 1961, she was awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor.
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Additional Josephine Baker Biography
Josephine Baker (or Joséphine Baker in francophone countries) (June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975) is one of the world's most beloved entertainers. She was an American-born French expatriate who later became a French citizen. Baker was most noted as a singer, though in her early career she was a celebrated dancer (she is often credited as a movie star, although she only starred in 3 films in her early career). She was given the nicknames "Black Venus" or "Black Pearl" and "Créole Goddess" in anglophone nations, while in France she was known in the old theatrical tradition as "La Baker". She became a citizen of France in 1937. She is also noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States of America, and for being an inspiration to generations of African-American female entertainers. After retiring from her entertainment career, Baker adopted her "rainbow tribe" - 12 orphans of different ethnicities and nationalities
On October 2, 1925, she opened in Paris at the Théatre des Champs-Élysées, where she became an instant success for her erotic dancing and for appearing practically nude on stage. After a successful tour of Europe, she reneged on her contract and returned to France to star at the Folies Bergères, setting the standard for her future acts. She performed the Danse sauvage, wearing a costume consisting of a skirt made of a string of artificial bananas. Josephine Baker's success coincided (1925) with the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, which for one gave the name "Art Deco" and were also a renewal of interest in ethnic forms of art, including African. Therefore Josephine Baker also represented one aspect of this fashion.
In later shows in Paris she was often accompanied on stage by her pet cheetah Chiquita, who was adorned with a diamond collar. The cheetah frequently escaped into the orchestra pit, where it terrorized the musicians, adding another element of excitement to the show.
After a short while she was the most successful American entertainer working in France — whereas in the U.S., she would have suffered the racial prejudices common to the era. Ernest Hemingway called her " ... the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." In addition to being a musical star, Baker also starred in three films which found success only in Europe: the silent film Siren of the Tropics (1927), Zouzou (1934) and Princesse Tamtam (1935). Although Josephine Baker is often credited as a movie star, her starring roles ended with Princesse Tamtam in 1935.Baker costumed for the Danse banane from the Folies Bergère production "Un Vent de Folie" in Paris in 1927
In the words of Shirley Bassey, who cited Baker as her primary influence, " ... she went from a 'petite danseuse sauvage' with a decent voice to 'la grande diva magnifique' ... I swear in all my life I have never seen, and probably never shall see again, such a spectacular singer and performer."
Yet despite her popularity in France, she never obtained the same reputation at home. Upon a visit to the United States in 1936, she starred in a failed version of the Ziegfeld Follies (being replaced by Gypsy Rose Lee later in the run) her personal life similarly suffered, and she went through six marriages, some legal, some not. During this time, when Baker returned to the United States, she was allegedly at a dinner party and began to speak in French as well as English with a French accent. An African-American maid was reputed to tell her, "Honey, you is full of shit. Speak the way yo' mouth was born." She had the woman fired.
In January 1966 she was invited by Fidel Castro to perform at the Teatro Musical de La Habana in Havana, Cuba. Her spectacular show in April of that year led to record breaking attendance.
She refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States. Her insistence on mixed audiences helped to integrate shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevertheless she was near bankruptcy until she was given an apartment and financial assistance by her close friend, Princess Grace of Monaco, the American wife of Rainier III of Monaco.
Baker became the first American-born woman to receive the highest French military honor, the Croix de Guerre. "Place Joséphine Baker" in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris was named in her honor. She has also been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. The first swimming-pool over the Seine which has been launched for the 2006 edition of Paris-Plage, is named "Piscine Joséphine Baker" after her.
Baker's sons, Jean-Claude and Jarry Baker, grew up to go into business together, running the restaurant 'Chez Josephine' on Theatre Row, 42nd Street, New York, which celebrates Josephine's life and works.
Baker's iconic performance style has also been influential. Diana Ross, a long-time admirer of Baker, performed in Bob Mackie-designed outfits similar to Baker's and reenacted similar poses of the latter in many photo sessions. Baker's banana skirt, in particular, has made numerous media appearance. A dancer wore one in Sir-Mix-A-Lot's 1991 video for "Baby Got Back", and Beyoncé wore one when performing "Déjà Vu" for CBS's 2006 Fashion Rocks. During the Beyonce performance, images of a young Baker were projected on a large screen above the stage. |
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Josephine Baker Quote(s)
| Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul; when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood. |
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