As a girl she toured the U.S. as part of a song-and-dance act with her sisters, and by the time she was 32 had a sizzling nightclub act and an historic Academy Award nomination for Best Actress (the first time a black woman was up for the honor). But it wasn't until decades later that Dandridge's legacy was truly appreciated: In 1999, Halle Berry dramatized her story in an HBO biopic, and three years later dedicated her Best Actress Oscar to Dandridge and other boundary-breaking black actresses.
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