Ethel waters

From the 1920s through the early '40s, Ethel Waters was probably the most famous black woman in America: a bestselling recording artist, a popular nightclub performer, the star of five Broadway shows and several Hollywood movies. After a grim period of little work as she aged and gained weight, Waters triumphed again as an African American matriarch in the 1949 film "Pinky" and in the lyrical 1950 stage adaptation of Carson McCullers' novel "The Member of the Wedding." By the time Waters…

From Black independent filmmakers to Hollywood trailblazers, the folks on our list are the movie icons your idols look up to.

Not only have these five women had amazing careers, their personal lives would make excellent films.

#EthelWaters is a #BlackAmerican Actress, Dancer & Singer in the 1920s-1950s. Paving The Way For Black People In #Broadway and The Entertainment Industry. Commonly Singing #Blues, #Jazz and Pop.

4 posts published by cbweatherford during November 2010

Hairspiration "Katherine Dunham, circa 1939, in a press photo issued prior to her performance with her "Negro Dance Group" at Chicago's Goodman Memorial Theatre."

Ethel Waters

While Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks are well-known Black figures in history, there are many lesser-known people who helped shape America.

Ethel Waters by Carl Van Vechten, Oct 28, 1938.