Ruby Jean Dandridge (née Butler; March 3, 1900[1] – October 17, 1987) was an American actress from the early 1900s through to the late 1950s. Dandridge is best known for her role on the radio showAmos 'n Andy, in which she played Sadie Blake and Harriet Crawford, and on radio's Judy Canova Show, in which she played Geranium. She is recognized for her role in the 1959 movie A Hole in the Head as Sally.
Early life
Born Ruby Jean Butler in Wichita, Kansas, on March 3, 1900, she was one of four children. Dandridge's parents were Nellie Simon, a maid, and George Butler, who was a janitor, grocer and entertainer.[2] Dandridge's father was also "a famous minstrel man."[3]
Career
In 1937, Dandridge played one of the witches in what an article in The Pittsburgh Courier called a "sepia representation" of Macbeth in Los Angeles. California.[4] The production began on July 8 at the Mayan Theater.[4] Five years later, she appeared in a production of Hit the Deck at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, California.[5] One of Dandridge's earliest appearances (uncredited, as were many of the minor roles she played) was as a native dancer in King Kong (1933).[6] In other films, she played Rheba, a maid, in Junior Miss (1945), Dabby in Tap Roots (1948),[7] the housekeeper in Three Little Girls in Blue (1946),[8] Mrs. Kelso in Cabin in the Sky (1943)[9] and Violet in Tish (1942).[10]
In 1955, Dandridge and her business partner Dorothy Foster bought land in Twentynine Palms, California, with plans to construct a subdivision of 250 homes.[14] Also in the 1950s, Dandridge formed a nightclub act that played in clubs around Los Angeles.[13] A review of her act cited her "flashes of effervescent showmanship" and stated "What Ruby lacks in her voice, she invariably makes up for it with her winsome personality."[15]
Personal life, death and legacy
On September 30, 1919, she married Cyril Dandridge. Dandridge moved with her husband to Cleveland, Ohio, where her daughter, actress Vivian Dandridge, was born in 1921. Her second daughter, Academy Award-nominated actress Dorothy Dandridge, was born there in 1922, five months after Ruby and Cyril divorced. It is noted that after her divorce, Dandridge became involved with her companion Geneva Williams, who reportedly overworked the children and punished them harshly.[16] Dandridge attended her daughter Dorothy's funeral in 1965.[citation needed]
^Levette, Harry (January 22, 1955). "This Is Hollywood". The New York Age. New York, New York City. p. 17. Retrieved April 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
.jpg)
