Jump to content

Eartha Kitt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eartha Kitt
Kitt in 1973
Born
Eartha Mae Keith

(1927-01-17)January 17, 1927
North, South Carolina, U.S.[1][2]
DiedDecember 25, 2008(2008-12-25) (aged 81)
Weston, Connecticut, U.S.
Other namesMother Eartha,[3] Kitty
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
  • comedian
  • dancer
  • songwriter
  • activist
Years active1944–2008
Spouse
John W. McDonald
​
​
(m. 1960; div. 1964)​
Children1
Musical career
Genres
Labels

Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby".

Kitt began her career with the Katherine Dunham Company and appeared in the 1945 original Broadway theatre production of the musical Carib Song. In the early 1950s, Kitt had six US Top 30 entries, including "Uska Dara" (1953) and "I Want to Be Evil" (1953). Her other recordings include the UK Top 10 song "Under the Bridges of Paris" (1954), "Just an Old Fashioned Girl" (1956) and "Where Is My Man" (1983). Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world".[4] Kitt starred as Catwoman in the third and final season of the television series Batman in 1967.[5]

In 1968, Kitt's career in the U.S. deteriorated after she made anti-Vietnam War statements at a White House luncheon with Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson.[5] Ten years later, Kitt made a successful return to Broadway in the 1978 original production of the musical Timbuktu!, for which she received the first of her two Tony Award nominations. Kitt's second was for the 2000 original production of the musical The Wild Party. She wrote three autobiographies.[6]

Kitt found a new generation of fans through her various voice acting roles in the last decade of her life. She was the voice of two villainous characters in animated works during the twenty-first century: Yzma in The Emperor's New Groove franchise, and Vexus in My Life As A Teenage Robot, with the former role earning her two Daytime Emmy Awards. Kitt posthumously won a third Emmy in 2010 for her guest performance on Wonder Pets!.

Early life

[edit]

Eartha Mae Keith was born on January 17, 1927, in North, South Carolina.[1][1][7] She did not learn her exact birth date until later in life, when she challenged students at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, to locate her birth certificate; they succeeded in finding it.[8]

Her mother, Annie Mae Keith, was of Cherokee and African-American descent.[5] Kitt knew little about her father. According to accounts of her early life, he was rumored to have been the son of the plantation owner where she was born, and her conception was alleged to have resulted from rape.[7][9][10] In a 2013 biography, British journalist John Williams identified her father as Daniel Sturkie, a white local physician.[11] Kitt's daughter, Kitt Shapiro (née McDonald), has questioned the accuracy of this claim.[12]

Her mother went to live with a Black man who refused to accept Kitt because of her relatively light complexion. Kitt was raised by a relative known as Aunt Rosa, in whose household she experienced abuse. In a 1971 interview on BBC Wales's Late Call, she recalled periods of severe food deprivation: "I remember at times when we didn't have anything to eat for what seemed like an insurmountable amount of time. We had to rely on the forest and whatever we could dig out of the ground, such as weeds or a grass I remember that had a kind of onion growing at the bottom of it."[5] Reflecting on the lasting influence of her childhood, she added, "I'm very glad that [her childhood self] will always be a part of me because she helps me do what she knows I have to do out there on that stage."[5]

After Annie Mae's death, Kitt was sent to live with another relative, Mamie Kitt, in Harlem, New York City.[7] Kitt later came to believe that Mamie was her biological mother.[7] She attended Metropolitan Vocational High School in New York City.[13]

In the summer of 1944, Kitt left school at the age of 17 and traveled to upstate New York, where she worked as a farmerette, one of the women recruited to perform agricultural labor during World War II.[14] Her work included harvesting cherries and currants.[14] She enjoyed the experience, which drew on a lifelong enthusiasm for horticulture rooted in her childhood in South Carolina.[14]

Career

[edit]

Katherine Dunham Company and rise to fame

[edit]
Kitt photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1952

Kitt returned to New York City in September 1944 and auditioned for the Katherine Dunham Company, the first African American modern dance company in the United States.[14] She was awarded a scholarship, which included a stipend of $10 a week.[15]

In 1945, after six months of training at the Katherine Dunham School of Dance, Kitt made her professional debut as a dancer with the company in the Broadway variety show Blue Holiday.[16] Around the same time, she auditioned for the Katherine Dunham Company, whose leading members were appearing in another Broadway production at the Ziegfeld Theatre.[17] According to fellow dancer Van Aikens, Kitt was initially turned down and left the stage in tears.[17] However, she and her friend Roxie were placed on a waiting list until the company could expand.[17]

Dunham secured a Broadway engagement for Carib Song, a new production that incorporated dialogue and songs alongside dance.[17] Kitt was added to the company, which opened at the Adelphi Theatre on September 24, 1945.[18] Her vocal ability quickly distinguished her as a performer.[17] Aikens recalled that Dunham particularly admired Kitt's voice and that she regularly sang at the company's annual Boule Blanche (White Ball).[17] Kitt toured the United States with the Katherine Dunham Company for the next several years.[19][20][21] In 1948, the troupe traveled to London and subsequently toured Europe.[22] Kitt remained in Paris in 1949, where she established herself as a nightclub performer.[23][24]

International stardom

[edit]

In March 1950, the New Pittsburgh Courier reported that Kitt had become a popular attraction at an upscale Paris nightclub, performing Afro-Cuban songs and incorporating rumba movements into her act.[24] The newspaper mentioned her radio and television appearances and concert performances with American jazz musicians, including Coleman Hawkins, Buck Clayton, and Doc Cheatham.[24] She was also compared to African American entertainer Josephine Baker whose career thrived in Paris, "Perhaps taking up for this generation where the great Josephine Baker left off, Eartha is a great favorite with the male entertainment seeker."[24]

In 1950, Orson Welles cast her as Helen in his staging of The Blessed and the Damned in Paris.[25] She gained wider recognition in the Broadway revue New Faces of 1952, in which she introduced "Monotonous" and "Bal, Petit Bal."[8] A film adaptation, New Faces, was released by 20th Century-Fox in 1954, featuring Kitt performing "Monotonous," "Uska Dara," "C'est si bon," and "Santa Baby."

Kitt's distinctive voice and multilingual performances helped establish her international career. While performing in Europe, she became fluent in French; she spoke four languages and sang in seven.[8]

Her recordings included "Let's Do It," "Champagne Taste," "C'est si bon," "Just an Old Fashioned Girl," "Je cherche un homme," "Love for Sale," "I'd Rather Be Burned as a Witch," "Kâtibim," "Mink, Schmink," and "Under the Bridges of Paris."[8] Her best-known recording, "Santa Baby," was released in 1953.[26] In 1956, she published her autobiography, Thursday's Child, which later inspired the title of David Bowie's 1999 song of the same name.[27][28]

Kitt in Amsterdam, 1962

During the 1950s, Kitt also appeared in films, including The Mark of the Hawk (1957), St. Louis Blues (1958), and Anna Lucasta (1958).[8] Her stage credits during this period included Mrs. Patterson (1954–1955), Shinbone Alley (1957), and Jolly's Progress (1959).[29]

Kitt continued to perform internationally in the 1960s. At the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium on October 29, 1962, she sang solo and appeared in a sketch with Harry Secombe; The Illustrated London News described them as "perhaps the two outstanding performers of the evening."[30] In 1963, she performed at the Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines, where she learned the song "Waray-Waray" phonetically and later included it in her repertoire and a live album.[31] The following year, she helped open the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California.

Throughout her career, Kitt was frequently described in feline terms, with critics likening her voice to a purr and characterizing her stage presence as that of a "sex kitten."[8] In 1967, she took over the role of Catwoman in the television series Batman from Julie Newmar.[8] That year, she also appeared as Tina Mara, a contortionist, in an episode of Mission: Impossible titled "The Traitor."

Career decline and resurgence

[edit]

In 1968, Kitt attended a White House luncheon where she discussed the Vietnam War with First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.[8] Kitt criticized the war and subsequently faced professional repercussions, with bookings reportedly declining and her career in the United States curtailed. She spent much of the following decade performing in Europe.[8]

Kitt as Catwoman in the Batman TV series, 1967

In 1970, Kitt filmed a television special for Group W Films, with filming taking place in nine European cities during May and June.[32] Throughout the 1970s, she continued to perform on television and the concert stage, including appearances on the BBC variety show The Good Old Days.

In 1976, Kitt published her second book Alone with Me: A New Autobiography.[33]

In 1978, Kitt returned to Broadway in Timbuktu!, an African-set adaptation of Kismet, earning a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.[34] Kitt did the voice-over in a television commercial for the album Aja by the rock group Steely Dan.[35]

Kitt returned to the music charts in 1984 with "Where Is My Man", a disco single that became her first gold record. It reached No. 36 on the UK singles chart and No. 7 on the US Billboard dance chart.[36] The single was followed by the album I Love Men. The success introduced her to a new generation of nightclub audiences, particularly gay men, and she frequently performed at benefits for HIV/AIDS organizations.[8]

In 1987, Kitt replaced Dolores Gray as Carlotta in the London West End production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies.[37] Her performance of "I'm Still Here" received standing ovations, and she subsequently performed a solo show at the Shaftesbury Theatre in early 1989. That year, her single "Cha-Cha Heels," recorded with Bronski Beat, reached No. 32 on the UK singles chart.[38] She also published her memoir I'm Still Here: Confessions of a Sex Kitten.

Kitt performing in concert, 2007

Kitt continued to work in film and television, appearing as Old Lady Hackmore in Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Lady Eloise in Boomerang (1992), Agatha K. Plummer in Harriet the Spy (1996), and Madame Zeroni in Holes (2003). In 1992, she had a supporting role as Lady Eloise in Boomerang. In 1995, Kitt appeared as herself in an episode of The Nanny, where she performed a song in French and flirted with Maxwell Sheffield. In November 1996, Kitt appeared in an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!. She also did a series of commercials for Old Navy.

In 1998, Kitt toured North America with the production of The Wizard of Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West.[39] She appeared in the Broadway production of The Wild Party in 2000, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. Her later stage credits included Cinderella as the Fairy Godmother in 2000 and 2004,[40][41] Nine in 2003, and the off-Broadway musical Mimi le Duck in 2006.

She also became known for her voice acting, playing Kaa in a 1994 BBC Radio adaptation of The Jungle Book and Bagheera in the 1998 film The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story. In 2000, Kitt won an Annie Award for voicing Yzma in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove, a role she reprised in Kronk's New Groove and The Emperor's New School.[8] Her work on the latter earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards. She did further voice work as Vexus in Nickelodeon's My Life as a Teenage Robot. In December 2004 and 2005, Kitt was a guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World.[42]

During her late career resurgence, Kitt published her memoir Rejuvenate!: It's Never Too Late.[43] She continued to perform in cabaret venues in New York, including the Café Carlyle, and appeared at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in April 2008.[8] She also recorded a new version of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" for MAC Cosmetics' 2007 Smoke Signals collection and appeared in the film And Then Came Love that year. Her final voice performances included an appearance as herself in The Simpsons episode "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", which aired in 2010.

Controversy

[edit]

On January 18, 1968, during the administration of U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson, Kitt attended a White House luncheon where she criticized the Vietnam War during a question-and-answer session with First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.[44][44] Asked about the war and the growing youth protest movement, Kitt challenged the administration's policies, saying: "You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot."[45][46] During a question-and-answer session, Kitt stated:

The children of America are not rebelling for no reason. They are not hippies for no reason at all. We don't have what we have on Sunset Blvd. for no reason. They are rebelling against something. There are so many things burning the people of this country, particularly mothers. They feel they are going to raise sons—and I know what it's like, and you have children of your own, Mrs. Johnson—we raise children and send them to war.[47][48][49]

Kitt's remarks reportedly caused Lady Bird Johnson to burst into tears.[9][8] The incident damaged Kitt's professional standing in the United States, and she subsequently concentrated on performing in Europe and Asia.[50][51][52]

In 1975, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh discovered a Central Intelligence Agency dossier on Kitt and reported on it in The New York Times.[53] The dossier included details of her family history and sex life, as well as disparaging assessments attributed to former colleagues. It characterized Kitt as a "sadistic nymphomaniac."[12] Kitt condemned the dossier, saying, "I don't understand what this is about. I think it's disgusting."[53]

In February 2022, the short documentary Catwoman vs. the White House, directed by Scott Calonico, examined the luncheon incident through photographs, press clippings, and archival footage.[54][55][56]

Kitt returned to the White House on January 29, 1978, when she accepted an invitation from President Jimmy Carter to attend a reception marking the tenth anniversary of the reopening of Ford's Theatre.[57]

Personal life

[edit]
Kitt and her daughter, Kitt McDonald, arriving in Finland, 1970

Kitt married John William McDonald, an associate of a real estate investment company, on June 9, 1960.[58] Their daughter, Kitt McDonald, was born on November 26, 1961, and was baptized Catholic at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.[59] Eartha Kitt and McDonald separated on July 1, 1963, and divorced on March 26, 1964.[60]

It was reported that Kitt spent time with French actor Jean Marais early in her career.[24] Although rumors later circulated that she and Welles had an affair during Shinbone Alley, Kitt denied them in a 2001 interview with George Wayne for Vanity Fair saying, "It was a working situation and nothing else."[61]

A longtime Connecticut resident, Kitt lived in a converted barn on a sprawling farm in the Merryall section of New Milford for many years and was active in local charities and causes throughout Litchfield County. She later moved to Pound Ridge, New York, but returned in 2002 to the southern Fairfield County, Connecticut town of Weston, in order to be near her daughter Kitt and family. Her daughter, Kitt, married Charles Lawrence Shapiro in 1987.[62]

Activism

[edit]

Kitt was involved in social and political causes from the 1950s onward, including youth programs, peace activism, and LGBT rights. In 1966, she established the Kittsville Youth Foundation, a chartered nonprofit organization serving underprivileged young people in the Watts area of Los Angeles.[63]

Kitt also supported Rebels with a Cause, a group of young people in Anacostia, Washington, D.C., who worked to clean up their neighborhood and establish recreational facilities. In May 1967, she accompanied members of the group when they testified before the House General Subcommittee on Education of the Committee on Education and Labor. Kitt praised their accomplishments, arguing that in one year, despite limited funding, they had achieved what established community leaders had not. She maintained that the group could serve as a model for other urban communities facing similar problems.[64] The group subsequently received the funding it had sought.[65]

Kitt was a member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Her opposition to the Vietnam War, expressed during a 1968 White House luncheon, reflected her concerns about the relationship between the war, poverty, and racial unrest.[66] The Central Intelligence Agency had maintained a file on Kitt since 1956. After The New York Times reported on the file in 1975, Kitt gave the newspaper permission to publish portions of it, stating, "I have nothing to be afraid of and I have nothing to hide."[53]

Kitt later became an outspoken supporter of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage, which she regarded as a civil right. Explaining her support for marriage equality, she said, "If I have a partner and something happens to me, I want that partner to enjoy the benefits of what we have reaped together. It's a civil-rights thing, isn't it?"[67]

She also appeared at numerous LGBT fundraisers, including a large event in Baltimore with George Burns and Jimmy James.[68] As part of the performance, James impersonated Kitt before she appeared onstage to take the microphone, prompting a standing ovation.[68] Scott Sherman, an agent at Atlantic Entertainment Group, praised her participation, saying that Kitt “appears at so many LGBT events in support of civil rights.” In a 1992 interview with Dr. Anthony Clare, Kitt spoke about her gay following, saying:

We're all rejected people, we know what it is to be refused, we know what it is to be oppressed, depressed, and then, accused, and I am very much cognizant of that feeling. Nothing in the world is more painful than rejection. I am a rejected, oppressed person, and so I understand them, as best as I can, even though I am a heterosexual.[69]

Death

[edit]
Kitt's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Kitt died of colon cancer on Christmas Day 2008 at her home in Weston, Connecticut, aged 81.[70][71][72] She was survived by her daughter, Kitt Shapiro, and two grandchildren.[8]

In a 2013 interview, Shapiro recalled being with her mother during her final days at home. "She left this world literally screaming at the top of her lungs," she said, adding, "She screamed her way out of here, literally." Shapiro described their final days as intimate and affectionate, saying, "I was the love of her life, so the last part of her life we didn't have to have these heart to heart talks."[73]

Legacy

[edit]
Commemorative blue plaque at Riverside Studios in London

In February 1960, Kitt was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[74] It is located at 6656 Hollywood Boulevard.[75]

In 2016, January 17 was announced as Eartha Kitt Day in Kitt's home state of South Carolina. In 2022 the day was enshrined into state law in SC Code § 53-3-75 (2022).[76] South Carolinian Sheldon Rice is credited for beginning the push for legislation declaring her birthday as a state holiday since the time of her death in 2008. State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter first introduced the legislation to create the State holiday in 2011.[76]

In March 2024, Kitt was honored with the unveiling of a commemorative blue plaque at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London, as part of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham's Women's History Month celebrations.[77]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2001 Annie Awards Best Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production The Emperor's New Groove Won [78]
2006 Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production The Emperor's New School (Episode: "Kuzclone") Won [79]
2007 The Emperor's New School (Episode: "The Emperor's New Musical") Won [80]
2001 Black Reel Awards Best Supporting Actress The Emperor's New Groove Nominated [81]
2007 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program The Emperor's New School Won [82]
2008 Won [83]
2010 Wonder Pets! (Episode: "Save the Cool Cat and the Hip Hippo") Won [84]
2000 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical The Wild Party Nominated [85]
2005 DVD Exclusive Awards Best Animated Character Performance (Voice and Animation in a DVD Premiere Movie) Kronk's New Groove Nominated
1969 Grammy Awards Best Recording for Children Folk Tales of the Tribes of Africa Nominated [86]
1995 Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance Back in Business Nominated
1995 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Living Single (Episode: "He Works Hard for the Money") Nominated
1966 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama I Spy (Episode: "The Loser") Nominated [87]
1978 Tony Awards Best Leading Actress in a Musical Timbuktu! Nominated [88]
2000 Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Wild Party Nominated [89]

Discography

[edit]
Studio albums

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Film Role Notes
1948 Casbah Uncredited
1951 Parigi è sempre Parigi Herself
1954 New Faces
1957 The Mark of the Hawk Renee
1958 St. Louis Blues Gogo Germaine
1958 Anna Lucasta Anna Lucasta
1961 Saint of Devil's Island Annette
1965 Uncle Tom's Cabin Singer Uncredited role
Synanon Betty
1971 Up the Chastity Belt Scheherazade
1975 Friday Foster Madame Rena
1979 Butterflies in Heat Lola
1985 The Serpent Warriors Snake Priestess
1987 Master of Dragonard Hill Naomi
Dragonard Naomi
The Pink Chiquitas Betty / The Meteor Voice role
1989 Erik the Viking Freya
1990 Living Doll Mrs. Swartz
1991 Ernest Scared Stupid Old Lady Hackmore
1992 Boomerang Lady Eloise
1993 Fatal Instinct First Trial Judge
1996 Harriet the Spy Agatha K. Plummer
1997 Ill Gotten Gains The Wood Voice role
1998 I Woke Up Early the Day I Died Cult Leader
The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story Bagheera Voice role[90]
2000 The Emperor's New Groove Yzma Voice role[90]
2002 Anything But Love Herself
2003 Holes Madame Zeroni
2005 Preaching to the Choir Ms. Nettie
Kronk's New Groove Yzma Voice role; direct-to-video[90]
2007 And Then Came Love Mona

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1952–1963 The Ed Sullivan Show Herself 15 episodes
1963–1978 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 8 episodes
1964–1979 The Mike Douglas Show 16 episodes
1965 I Spy Angel Episode: "The Loser"
1965 Ben Casey Danielle Taylor Episode: "A Horse Named Stravinsky" (4.31; 5/17/1965)
1965 The Eartha Kitt Show Herself
1967 Mission: Impossible Tina Mara Episode: "The Traitor"
1967–1968 Batman Selina Kyle / Catwoman 5 episodes
1969 The Dick Cavett Show Herself 1 episode
1972 Lieutenant Schuster's Wife Lady Television film
1973–1978 The Merv Griffin Show Herself 3 episodes
1974 The Protectors Carrie Blaine Episode: "A Pocketful of Posies"
1978 Police Woman Amelia Episode: "Tigress"
To Kill a Cop Paula Television film
1983 A Night on the Town Unknown role
1985 Miami Vice Santería Priestess Chata Episode: "Whatever Works"
1989 After Dark Herself Episode: "Rock Bottom?"[a]
1993 Jack's Place Isabel Lang Episode: "The Seventh Meal"
Matrix Sister Rowena Episode: "Moths to a Flame"
1994 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Herself Episode: "Batmantis"
1995 The Magic School Bus Mrs. Franklin Voice role; Episode: "Going Batty"[90]
New York Undercover Mrs. Stubbs Episode: "Student Affairs"
Living Single Jacqueline Richards Episode: "He Works Hard for the Money"
1996 The Nanny Herself Episode: "A Pup in Paris"
1997 The Chris Rock Show 1 episode
1997–2000 The Rosie O'Donnell Show 2 episodes
1998 The Wild Thornberrys Lioness #1 Voice role; Episode: "Flood Warning"[90]
1999 The Famous Jett Jackson Albertine Whethers Episode: "Field of Dweebs"
2000 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child The Snow Queen Voice role; Episode: "The Snow Queen"
Welcome to New York June 2 episodes
2001 The Feast of All Saints Lola Dede Television film
Santa, Baby! Emerald Voice role; Television film[90]
2002–2006 My Life as a Teenage Robot Queen Vexus Voice role; 7 episodes[90]
2003 Hollywood Squares Herself 5 episodes
2005 Larry King Live 2 episodes
2006–2008 The Emperor's New School Yzma Main cast; Voice role
2007 American Dad! Fortune Teller Voice role; Episode: "Dope and Faith"
2008 An Evening with Eartha Kitt Herself Hosted by Gwen Ifill for PBS
2009 Wonder Pets! Cool Cat Voice role; Episode: "Save the Cool Cat and the Hip Hippo"; aired posthumously
2010 The Simpsons Herself Voice role; "Once Upon a Time in Springfield"; aired posthumously

Documentary

[edit]
Year Film Role
1982 All by Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story Herself
1995 Unzipped
2002 The Making and Meaning of We Are Family
The Sweatbox (unreleased)

Stage work

[edit]
Year Title Location Role Notes
1945 Blue Holiday Broadway Performer [b][91]
Carib Song Broadway Company [c][91]
1946 Bal Nègre Broadway, and Europe Performer [d][91]
unknown Mexico Performer [e][91]
1948 Caribbean Rhapsody West End, and Paris Chorus girl [f][91][92]
1949–1950 unknown Paris Herself,
Performer		 [g][92][93][94]
1950 Time Runs Paris[7] Helen of Troy [h][92]
An Evening With Orson Welles Frankfurt[95]
1951 Dr. Faustus Paris with Orson Welles
1952 New Faces of 1952 Broadway Polynesian girl,
Featured dancer,
Featured singer
1954 Mrs. Patterson Broadway Theodora (Teddy) Hicks Original Broadway production
1957 Shinbone Alley Broadway Mehitabel Original Broadway production
1959 Jolly's Progress Broadway Jolly Rivers
1965 The Owl and the Pussycat U.S. National tour Performer
1967 Peg Regional (US)
1970 The High Bid London Performer
1972 Bunny London Performer
1974 Bread and Beans and Things Aquarius Theater[96] Performer
1976 A Musical Jubilee U.S. National tour Performer
1978 Timbuktu! Broadway Shaleem-La-Lume
1980 Cowboy and the Legend Regional (US) Performer
1982 New Faces of 1952 (Revival) Off-off-Broadway Polynesian girl
Featured dancer
Featured singer
1985 Blues in the Night U.S. National tour Performer
1987 Follies (London Revival) London Carlotta Campion Replacement for Dolores Gray
1989 Aladdin Palace Theatre, Manchester Slave of the Ring
1989 Eartha Kitt in Concert London Performer
1994 Yes Edinburgh Performer
1995 Sam's Song Unitarian Church of All Souls Performer Benefit concert
1996 Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill Chicago Billie Holiday
1998 The Wizard of Oz (return engagement) Madison Square Garden, and U.S. National tour Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch
2000 The Wild Party Broadway Delores Original Broadway production
Cinderella Madison Square Garden, and U.S. National tour Fairy Godmother
2003 Nine Broadway Liliane La Fleur Replacement for Chita Rivera
2004 Cinderella (New York City Opera revival) David H. Koch Theater Fairy Godmother
2006 Mimi le Duck Off-off-Broadway Madame Vallet
2007 All About Us Westport Country Playhouse Performer

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2000 The Emperor's New Groove Yzma voice role

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Extended appearance on British discussion programme, together with Simon Napier-Bell and Pat Kane among others
  2. ↑ as a member of the Katherine Dunham Troupe; a short-lived production at the Belasco Theatre
  3. ↑ as a member of the Katherine Dunham Troupe; performed at the Adelphi Theatre as an Original Broadway production
  4. ↑ as a member of the Katherine Dunham Troupe; widely acclaimed Concert at the Belasco Theatre
  5. ↑ performed successfully as a member of the Katherine Dunham Troupe which was under contract with Teatro Americano for more than two months at the request of Doris Duke
  6. ↑ as a member of the Katherine Dunham Troupe; performed at the Prince of Wales Theatre (West End) and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris)
  7. ↑ first solo show / leading performance; performed at Carroll's Niterie; is where Orson Welles discovered her
  8. ↑ In segment based on Faust; performed "Hungry Little Trouble" written by Duke Ellington; cast by Orson Welles

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 "Obituary: Eartha Kitt"Archived April 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian. Dec 26 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Eartha Kitt dies at 81; TV's Catwoman, sultry singer of 'Santa Baby'" Archived December 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Lon Angeles Times. Dec 26 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Mother Eartha" Archived January 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Philadelphia City Paper. January 17–24, 2002. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  4. ↑ Messer, Kate X. (July 21, 2006). "Just An Old Fashioned Cat". The Austin Chronicle.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 McKevitt, Greg (January 13, 2025). "'We had to eat whatever we could dig out of the ground': How Eartha Kitt rose from 'extreme poverty' to superstardom". BBC. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  6. ↑ Kitt, Eartha (1990). I'm Still Here. London: Pan. ISBN 0-330-31439-4. OCLC 24719847.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Eartha Kitt: Singer who rose from poverty to captivate audiences around the world with her purring voice". The Telegraph. December 26, 2008. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Hoerburger, Rob (December 25, 2008). "Eartha Kitt, a Seducer of Audiences, Dies at 81". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Schulman, Sandra Hale (February 26, 2009). "Eartha Kitt, Chanteuse, Cherokee, and a seducer of audiences, Walked On at 81". Indian Country News. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013.
  10. ↑ Weil, Martin (December 26, 2008). "Bewitching Entertainer Eartha Kitt, 81". The Washington Post. p. B05.
  11. ↑ Williams, John L. (2013). America's Mistress : The Life and Times of Eartha Kitt. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-0-85738-575-8. OCLC 792747512.
  12. 1 2 Luck, Adam (October 19, 2013). "Eartha Kitt's life was scarred by her failure to learn the identity of her white father, says daughter". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Singer, Broadway Star Eartha Kitt Dies". Billboard. Associated Press. December 25, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Williams 2013, p. 29. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWilliams2013 (help)
  15. ↑ Williams 2013, p. 31. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWilliams2013 (help)
  16. ↑ Williams 2013, p. 35. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWilliams2013 (help)
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Williams 2013, p. 40. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWilliams2013 (help)
  18. ↑ Williams 2013, p. 41. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWilliams2013 (help)
  19. ↑ "Featured in Dance Revue". Baltimore Afro-American. September 21, 1946. p. 19. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  20. ↑ Price, Edgar (November 8, 1946). "The Premiere". The Brooklyn Citizen. p. 10. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Katherine Dunham Coming In Her Tropical Review". Boston Evening Globe. March 31, 1948. p. 8. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  22. ↑ P.H.W (June 5, 1948). "Katherine Dunham's Dancers". The Guardian. p. 3. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Katherine Dunham Top Box Office Draw In Paris Appearance". Chicago World. April 16, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 "Eartha Kitt Picks Up Where Jo Baker Left Off in Paris". New Pittsburgh Courier. March 18, 1950. p. 21. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Is Pretty Eartha Taking Rita's Place?". The Afro-American. July 1, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  26. ↑ Piedra, Xavier (December 17, 2018). "10 Best Versions Of 'Santa Baby'". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  27. ↑ Kitt, Eartha (November 25, 1956). "Thursday's child". New York, Duell, Sloan and Pearce – via Internet Archive.
  28. ↑ Kielty, Martin (November 29, 2020). "Does David Bowie Biopic 'Stardust' Benefit From Being Unofficial?". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  29. ↑ Atkinson, Brooks (April 28, 1957). "'SHINBONE ALLEY'; Eartha Kitt and Eddie Bracken Play Don Marquis' Cockroach and Cat Pivot Characters Showshop Goods The Libretto". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  30. ↑ "The Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium". The Illustrated London News. November 10, 1962. p. 41. Retrieved June 26, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ↑ Manila, Inquirer; mvillegas (October 30, 2023). "When Eartha Kitt sang of the bravery of Waray women to the world". INQUIRER.net USA. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  32. ↑ "TV-Radio Production Centres in the U.S. and Abroad". Variety. 259 (9): 34. July 15, 1970.
  33. ↑ Daniels, Mary (February 1, 1976). "'Alone With Me' Eartha Kitt's Life of Sorrow and Hurt". Chicago Tribune. pp. Section 5. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  34. ↑ Eder, Richard (March 2, 1978). "Eartha Kitt in 'Timbuktu!'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  35. ↑ DeVivo, Darren. "FUV Essentials: Darren DeVivo on Steely Dan". WFUV. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Where Is My Man". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  37. ↑ Times, Francis X. Clines, Special To the New York (July 23, 1987). "'FOLLIES' RESTAGED IN LONDON". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 14, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. ↑ "CHA CHA HEELS by EARTHA KITT & BRONSKI BEAT". Official Charts.
  39. ↑ Viagas, Robert and Lefkowitz, David. "Mickey Rooney/Eartha Kitt Oz Opens in NY, May 6". Playbill, May 6, 1998
  40. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. The Shoe Fits: R&H's Cinderella Begins Tour Nov. 28 in FL Playbill, November 28, 2000
  41. ↑ Davis, Peter G. (November 22, 2004). "Sweeps Week". New York. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  42. ↑ OrlandoSentinel.com Eartha Kitt Candlelightaccessed 12/12/2025
  43. ↑ Dreher, Kwakiutl L. (January 10, 2008). Dancing on the White Page: Black Women Entertainers Writing Autobiography. SUNY Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-7914-7284-2.
  44. 1 2 Brown, DeNeen L. (January 19, 2018). "'Sex kitten' vs. Lady Bird: The day Eartha Kitt attacked the Vietnam War at the White House". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  45. ↑ James, Frank (December 26, 2008). "Eartha Kitt versus the LBJs". The Swamp. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009.
  46. ↑ Amorosi, A. D. (February 27, 1997). "Eartha Kitt". Philadelphia City Paper. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009.
  47. ↑ Miller, Danny (December 27, 2008). "Ertha Kitt, CIA Target". HuffPost.
  48. ↑ Quarshie, Mabinty. "Eartha Kitt's Vietnam comments nearly ended her career". USA Today. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  49. ↑ Beschloss, Michael. "Eartha Kitt also played "Catwoman" in "Batman" (1966-1968)--met LBJ and later told Lady Bird Johnson at this January 1968 White House lunch". Twitter. Retrieved April 10, 2023. Eartha Kitt also played "Catwoman" in "Batman" (1966-1968)--met LBJ and later told Lady Bird Johnson at this January 1968 White House lunch, "I have a baby and then you send him off to war. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot"—generating a backlash against her career:
  50. ↑ "When Eartha Kitt Disrupted the Ladies Who Lunch". The New Yorker. February 16, 2022.
  51. ↑ Kerr, Euan (January 27, 2006). "Eartha Kitt is so much more than Catwoman". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved April 10, 2023. interview with Eartha Kitt
  52. ↑ "Eartha Kitt". Britannica.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  53. 1 2 3 Hersh, Seymour (January 3, 1975). "CIA gave Secret Service a Report containing Gossip about Eartha Kitt after a White House Incident". The New York Times.
  54. ↑ Calonico, Scott. "Catwoman vs. The White House". ScottCalonico.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  55. ↑ "When the Government Tried, and Failed, to Silence Catwoman". The New Yorker. February 16, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2023 – via YouTube.
  56. ↑ Halliday, Ayun (February 22, 2022). "When Eartha Kitt Spoke Truth to Power at a 1968 White House Luncheon". Open Culture. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  57. ↑ "Carter Greets Eartha Kitt at White House Where She Shocked Mrs. Johnson in 1968". The New York Times. January 30, 1978. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  58. ↑ "Eartha Kitt to Be Married". The New York Times. May 12, 1960. p. 40.
  59. ↑ Ralis, David (December 26, 2008). "Remembering Eartha Kitt". inquirer.com. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  60. ↑ "Eartha Kitt Wins, Divorce". The New York Times. March 27, 1964.
  61. ↑ Wayne, George (June 2001). "Back to Eartha". Vanity Fair. p. 160.
  62. ↑ "Kitt McDonald is Wed to Charles L. Shapiro". The New York Times. June 14, 1987.
  63. ↑ Johnson, Robert E. (June 14, 1973). "Eartha Kitt Observes Seventh Year With Black Ghetto School". Jet 44: 56.
  64. ↑ Hearings, 90th Cong., 1st Sess. 558 (1967). pp. 559–60.
  65. ↑ Kitt, Eartha (1976). Alone With Me. H. Regnery Co. p. 239. ISBN 9780809283514.
  66. ↑ Blackwell, Joyce (2004). No Peace Without Freedom: Race and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 9780809325641.
  67. ↑ "Eartha Kitt, actress and gay rights ally, dies at age 81". PageOneQ. December 28, 2008. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009.
  68. 1 2 Scott Duncan, "George Burns, Eartha Kitt are delightful at 'Lifesongs 1990'", The Baltimore Sun, September 17, 1990.
  69. ↑ Eartha Kitt sings Swedish and talks about her gay fans on YouTube
  70. ↑ "Singer-actress Eartha Kitt dies at 81". MSNBC. December 26, 2008. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  71. ↑ Wilson, Christopher (December 26, 2008). "Seductive singer Eartha Kitt dies at 81". Reuters.
  72. ↑ "Actress Eartha Kitt, 81, Dies at Her Weston Home". Westport Now. December 25, 2008.
  73. ↑ Brown, Lee (October 5, 2013). "Kitt Shapiro (Daughter of Eartha Kitt) Offers Business Advice for Moms & Discusses Mother's Passing & Legacy". Mommynoire.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015.
  74. ↑ "Eartha Kitt". Hollywood Walk of Fame. October 25, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  75. ↑ "Eartha Kitt tickets competition". The Telegraph. January 24, 2008. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022.
  76. 1 2 "2022 South Carolina Code of Laws :: Title 53 - Sundays, Holidays and Other Special Days :: Chapter 3 - Special Days :: Section 53-3-75. Eartha Kitt Day". Justia Law. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  77. ↑ "Eartha Kitt honoured with blue plaque at Riverside Studios". London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. March 22, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  78. ↑ "29th Annual Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  79. ↑ "34th Annual Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  80. ↑ "35th Annual Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  81. ↑ "Black Reel Awards – Past Nominees & Winners by Category". Black Reel Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  82. ↑ "Nominations Announced for the Emmy Award for Excellence in Morning Programming". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. March 26, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  83. ↑ "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announces 35th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award nominations". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. April 30, 2008. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  84. ↑ "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announces the 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award nominations" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. May 12, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  85. ↑ "Nominees and Recipients – 2000 Awards". Drama Desk Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  86. ↑ "Eartha Kitt". Grammy Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  87. ↑ "Eartha Kitt". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  88. ↑ "1978 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  89. ↑ "2000 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  90. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Eartha Kitt (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 8, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  91. 1 2 3 4 5 "Selections from the Katherine Dunham Collection". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  92. 1 2 3 Anon. (1955). That Bad Eartha 10" Long Play (United Kingdom Version) (sleeve note). Eartha Kitt. His Master's Voice.
  93. ↑ Anon. (1955). Down to Eartha (United Kingdom Version) (sleeve note). Eartha Kitt. His Master's Voice.
  94. ↑ Baker, Rob (October 16, 2014). "Eartha Kitt and Orson Welles in Paris in 1950". Alum Media Ltd. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  95. ↑ Fanning, Win (August 13, 1950). "Eartha Kitt wins raves in Welles' show at Frankfurt". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  96. ↑ "Bread and Beans and Things Starring Eartha Kitt at Aquarius". Los Angeles Sentinel. July 11, 1974. p. B-9. ProQuest 565142254.; Sullivan, Dan (July 18, 1974). "Bread and Beans in a New League". Stage Review. Los Angeles Times. p. IV: 1, 15. ProQuest 157629458.

Sources

[edit]
  • Williams, John (2013). America's Mistress: The Life and Times of Eartha Kitt. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-0-85738-575-8.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eartha_Kitt&oldid=1382903904"