Called the black Marilyn Monroe by Lena Horne, pioneering woman of color Dorothy Dandridge left behind a legacy both inspirational and skinspirational. Ms. Dandridge started out as half of a touring act before she began to get small roles in Hollywood, first on an Our Gang episode in 1935 and then in the Marx Brothers’ A Day at the Races in 1937. Her big break came in 1954 when she starred in Otto Preminger’s Carmen Jones. Her performance was so brilliant and her beauty so captivating that Dorothy became the first black woman to appear on the cover of Life magazine and the first black woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Unfortunately, she didn't become the first black actress to unwrap her milk chocolate mams on screen. This means she never showed nipple, but she showed more skin in Carmen Jones than in any other Dandridge flick on Mr. Skin's radar. During one skincredible scene, Dorothy throws off her robe to reveal a black lace bra and zebra-striped panties. She then pulls on a pink dress and gets her man to zip it up. What a lucky guy! After CJ, Dorothy appeared in Island in the Sun (1957), Tamango (1958), The Decks Ran Red (1958), Porgy and Bess (1959), Malaga (1960), The Murder Men (1961), and Cain's Hundred before passing away in 1965, aged 42. Dorothy went over the rainbow too soon, but she'll long be remembered for conducting beautiful black magic as a wizard of awes.
