Strikingly beautiful Dorothea Durham was a popular dancer in the 1930's
and 1940's, who also appeared in Hollywood films. Dorothea's beauty and
graceful, sensual dancing style was often written about in African
American newspapers of the time. She headlined at popular clubs such as
Sebastian's Cotton Club and Rhumboogie, and theater revues billed as
Garbo, after the actress Greta Garbo, possibly because her of her
aloofness, like the actress.
Dorothea started her dance career in popular Chicago and Harlem
nightclubs and was one of the women brought out to California to become
apart of the thriving African American nightclub nightlife on Central
Avenue in the 1930's and 1940's, known as the Harlem of the West. Her
beauty and talent got her into films. She appeared in most of all the
black cast musical numbers in Hollywood films, including "Cabin In The
Sky" and "Stormy Weather." Dorothea also was a sensation in Duke
Ellington's Jump For Joy. She was once married to musician Jackie
Kelso.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: AT - (msladysoul@aol.com)