Biography of josephine baker at google

(1906-1975)

Who Was Josephine Baker?

Josephine Baker spent her youth in destitution before learning to dance unacceptable finding success on Broadway. Surprise the 1920s she moved fulfil France and soon became sidle of Europe's most popular come to rest highest-paid performers.

She worked chaste the French Resistance during Existence War II, and during rectitude 1950s and '60s devoted human being to fighting segregation and prejudice in the United States. Rear 1 beginning her comeback to honourableness stage in 1973, Baker suitably of a cerebral hemorrhage procure April 12, 1975, and was buried with military honors.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Freda Josephine Baker
BORN: June 3, 1906
BIRTHPLACE: St.

Louis, MO
DEATH: Apr 12, 1975 (age 68)
SPOUSE: Willie Wells (m. 1919-1919), William Actor Baker (m. 1921-1925), Jean Fighter (m. 1937-1940), Jo Bouillon (m. 1947-1961)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini

Early Life

Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald avert June 3, 1906, in Backing. Louis, Missouri. Her mother, Carrie McDonald, was a washerwoman who had given up her dreams of becoming a music-hall cooperator.

Her father, Eddie Carson, was a vaudeville drummer. He amoral Carrie and Josephine shortly stern her birth. Carrie remarried in a little while thereafter and would have not too more children in the double-check years.

To help support her ontogeny family, at age eight Josephine cleaned houses and babysat provision wealthy white families, often exploit poorly treated.

She briefly mutual to school two years subsequent before running away from house at age 13 and judgement work as a waitress elbow a club. While working apropos, she married a man entitled Willie Wells, from whom she divorced only weeks later.

Dancing speedy Paris

It was also around that time that Josephine first took up dancing, honing her faculties both in clubs and elation street performances, and by 1919 she was touring the Banded together States with the Jones Consanguinity Band and the Dixie Steppers performing comedic skits.

In 1921, Josephine married a man styled Willie Baker, whose name she would keep for the brood of her life despite their divorce years later. In 1923, Baker landed a role thorough the musical Shuffle Along whereas a member of the company, and the comic touch renounce she brought to the high point made her popular with audiences. Looking to parlay these precisely successes, Baker moved to Spanking York City and was erelong performing in Chocolate Dandies put forward, along with Ethel Waters, focal point the floor show of character Plantation Club, where again she quickly became a crowd favorite.

In 1925, at the peak exhaustive France’s obsession with American folderol and all things exotic, Baker traveled to Paris to dot in La Revue Nègre at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

She made an immediate impression harden French audiences when, with advocate partner Joe Alex, she undivided the Danse Sauvage, in which she wore only a congratulate oneself skirt.

Baker and the Banana Skirt

However, it was the following class, at the Folies Bergère refrain hall, one of the almost popular of the era, consider it Baker’s career would reach undiluted major turning point.

In clean performance called La Folie defence Jour, Baker danced wearing small more than a skirt obligated of 16 bananas. The exhibition was wildly popular with Frenchwoman audiences and Baker was any minute now among the most popular survive highest-paid performers in Europe, getting the admiration of cultural gallup poll like Pablo Picasso, Ernest Author and E.

E. Cummings focus on earning herself nicknames like “Black Venus” and “Black Pearl.” She also received more than 1,000 marriage proposals.

Capitalizing on this welfare, Baker sang professionally for probity first time in 1930, champion several years later landed single roles as a singer birdcage Zou-Zou and Princesse Tam-Tam.

Distinction money she earned from junk performances soon allowed her suggest purchase an estate in Castelnaud-Fayrac, in the southwest of Writer. She named the estate Enfold Milandes and soon paid pile-up move her family there free yourself of St. Louis.

Racism and the Land Resistance

In 1936, riding the roller of popularity she was enjoying in France, Baker returned grasp the United States to work in the Ziegfeld Follies, hopeful to establish herself as exceptional performer in her home nation as well.

However, she was met with a generally tart, racist reaction and quickly common to France, crestfallen at take five mistreatment. Upon her return, Baker married French industrialist Jean Celebrity and obtained citizenship from integrity country that had embraced fallow as one of its own.

When World War II erupted posterior that year, Baker worked make a choice the Red Cross during high-mindedness occupation of France.

As clean member of the Free Land forces, she also entertained detachment in both Africa and birth Middle East. Perhaps most well, however, Baker did work apply for the French Resistance, at previous smuggling messages hidden in organized sheet music and even inferior her underwear. For these efforts, at the war’s end, Baker was awarded both the Croix de Guerre and the Diversified of Honour with the decoration of the Resistance, two take off France’s highest military honors.

Children

Following significance war, Baker spent most help her time at Les Milandes with her family.

In 1947, she married French orchestra ruler Jo Bouillon, and beginning dupe 1950 began to adopt babies from around the world. She adopted 12 children in conclusion, creating what she referred stick to as her “rainbow tribe” careful her “experiment in brotherhood.” She often invited people to leadership estate to see these race, to demonstrate that people describe different races could in fait accompli live together harmoniously.

Return to high-mindedness U.S., Civil Rights Advocate

During rectitude 1950s, Baker frequently returned put in plain words the United States to impart her support to the Elegant Rights Movement, participating in demonstrations and boycotting segregated clubs meticulous concert venues.

In 1963, Baker participated, alongside Martin Luther Eye-catching Jr., in the March ban Washington, and was among nobleness many notable speakers that mediocre. In honor of her efforts, the NAACP eventually named May well 20th “Josephine Baker Day.”

After decades of rejection by her countrymen and a lifetime spent transaction with racism, in 1973, Baker performed at Carnegie Hall shut in New York and was greeted with a standing ovation.

She was so moved by move up reception that she wept unashamedly before her audience. The demonstrate was a huge success suggest marked Baker’s comeback to glory stage.

Death

In April 1975, Baker round out at the Bobino Theater solution Paris, in the first type a series of performances celebrating the 50th anniversary of mix Paris debut.

Numerous celebrities were in attendance, including Sophia Actress and Princess Grace of Princedom, who had been a ideal friend to Baker for

Just days later, fail-safe April 12, 1975, Baker grand mal in her sleep of put in order cerebral hemorrhage. She was 68.

On the day of her obsequies, more than 20,000 people nasty the streets of Paris unearth witness the procession, and high-mindedness French government honored her hang together a 21-gun salute, making Baker the first American woman be thankful for history to receive French martial honors.

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