Pearl Bailey

Pearl Bailey

Pearl Mae Bailey, born in Virginia on March 29, 1918, was an American actress and singer. Bailey began by singing and dancing in Philadelphia’s black nightclubs in the 1930s, and soon started performing in other parts of the East Coast. In 1941, during World War II, Bailey toured the country with the USO, performing for American troops. After the tour, she settled in New York. Her solo successes as a nightclub performer were followed by acts with such entertainers as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. In 1946, Bailey made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman. Bailey continued to tour and record albums in between her stage and screen performances. Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952. On November 19, 1952, Bailey married jazz drummer Louie Bellson in London. They adopted a child, Tony, in the mid-1950s, and subsequently a girl, Dee Dee J. Bellson, born April 20, 1960. In 1954, she took the role of Frankie in the film version of Carmen Jones, and her rendition of "Beat Out That Rhythm on the Drum" is one of the highlights of the film. She also starred in the Broadway musical House of Flowers. In 1959, she played the role of Maria in the film version of Porgy and Bess, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. Also that year, she played the role of "Aunt Hagar" in the movie St. Louis Blues, alongside Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, and Nat King Cole. Though she was originally considered for the part of Annie Johnson in the 1959 film Imitation of Life, the part went to Juanita Moore. A passionate fan of the New York Mets, Bailey sang the national anthem at Shea Stadium prior to game 5 of the 1969 World Series, and appears in the Series highlight film showing her support for the team. She also sang the national anthem prior to game 1 of the 1981 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Bailey, a Republican, was appointed by President Richard Nixon as America's "Ambassador of Love" in 1970. She attended several meetings of the United Nations and later appeared in a campaign ad for President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. Also during the 1970s she had her own television show, and she also provided voices for animations such as Tubby the Tuba (1976) and Disney's The Fox and the Hound (1981). She returned to Broadway in 1975, playing the lead in an all-black production of Hello, Dolly!. At age 67, she earned a B.A. in theology from GeorgetownUniversity in Washington, D.C., in 1985. Later in her career, Bailey was a fixture as a spokesperson in a series of Duncan Hines commercials, singing "Bill Bailey (Won't You Come Home)". In her later years Bailey wrote several books: The Raw Pearl (1968), Talking to Myself (1971), Pearl's Kitchen (1973), and Hurry Up America and Spit (1976). In 1975 she was appointed special ambassador to the United Nations by President Gerald Ford. Her last book, Between You and Me (1989), details her experiences with higher education. In 1988 Bailey received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan. On August 17, 1990, Bailey died of heart condition. She is buried at RollingGreenMemorial Park in West Chester, Pennsylvania. During her lifetime, she won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968. In 1986, she won a Daytime Emmy award for her performance as a fairy godmother in the ABC Afterschool Special, Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale.

  • Title: Pearl Bailey
  • Popularity: 2.54
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1918-03-29
  • Place of Birth: Newport News, Virginia, USA
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Pearl Mae Bailey
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Pearl Bailey Movies

  • 1959
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    Porgy and Bess

    Porgy and Bess

    6.2 1959 HD

    In the early 1900s, the fictional Catfish Row section of Charleston, South Carolina serves as home to a black fishing community. Crippled beggar...

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  • 1981
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    The Fox and the Hound

    The Fox and the Hound

    7.146 1981 HD

    When a feisty little fox named Tod is adopted into a farm family, he quickly becomes friends with a fun and adorable hound puppy named Copper. Life...

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  • 1970
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    The Landlord

    The Landlord

    5.784 1970 HD

    At the age of twenty-nine, Elgar Enders "runs away" from home. This running away consists of buying a building in a black ghetto in the Park Slope...

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  • 1954
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    Carmen Jones

    Carmen Jones

    5.905 1954 HD

    Carmen, a seductive woman, seduces a young soldier, Joe, in order to avoid imprisonment. However, when she leaves Joe for another man, he seeks...

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  • 1985
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    Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale

    Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale

    1 1985 HD

    A contemporary remake of "Cinderella"

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  • 1976
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    Norman... Is That You?

    Norman... Is That You?

    5.3 1976 HD

    Ben and Beatrice Chambers discover that their son Norman is gay and so Ben is intent on setting him right.

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  • 1989
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    Peter Gunn

    Peter Gunn

    4.6 1989 HD

    Peter Gunn, a connoisseur of beautiful women and cool jazz, is an ex-cop turned private eye who's caught in the middle of a dangerous gang war.

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  • 1960
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    All the Fine Young Cannibals

    All the Fine Young Cannibals

    5.3 1960 HD

    An ambitious farm girl rushes into marriage with a rich man, almost destroying four lives in the process.

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  • 1947
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    Variety Girl

    Variety Girl

    6.1 1947 HD

    Dozens of star and character-actor cameos and a message about the Variety Club (a show-business charity) are woven into a framework about two hopeful...

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  • 1956
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    That Certain Feeling

    That Certain Feeling

    5.3 1956 HD

    When Larry Larkin's comic strip needs some freshening up, he calls in ghost-writer Francis X. Dignan to help him with the strip. Things get...

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  • 1948
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    Isn't It Romantic?

    Isn't It Romantic?

    7 1948 HD

    Three sisters find romance in post-Civil War Indiana.

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  • 2010
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    Satan Claus

    Satan Claus

    9 2010 HD

    With the clock ticking and the body count rising, Homicide Detective Timothy Reynolds reluctantly volunteers to assist his former partner, Detective...

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  • 1975
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    Tubby the Tuba

    Tubby the Tuba

    1 1975 HD

    When Tubby the Tuba sets out to find a melody all of his own, his journey results in this enchanting and exciting musical tale. Tubby joins the...

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  • 2002
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    The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s

    The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s

    1 2002 HD

    From those early days of black and white with Ed Ames' memorable Tomahawk toss, to Tiny Tim's Technicolor wedding, to Letterman and Leno's stand-up...

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  • 1982
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    The Member of the Wedding

    The Member of the Wedding

    5 1982 HD

    12-year-old tomboy Frankie Addams dreams of going away with her brother and his bride-to-be on their upcoming honeymoon. [Taped live in performance...

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  • 1981
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    Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life

    Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life

    1 1981 HD

    Former Disney child star Hayley Mills returns to the Walt Disney Studio for a look at the techniques of animated film production, with various...

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  • 2014
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    Bing Crosby: Rediscovered

    Bing Crosby: Rediscovered

    7 2014 HD

    Bing Crosby was, without a doubt, the most popular and influential multi-media star of the first half of the twentieth century, pulling audiences in...

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  • 2004
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    TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

    TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

    4 2004 HD

    Discover how television has reflected the African American experience in this retrospective of the medium's first half-century. Actors, writers and...

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  • 1958
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    St. Louis Blues

    St. Louis Blues

    7.8 1958 HD

    Will Handy grows up in Memphis with his preacher father and his Aunt Hagar. His father intends for him to use his musical gifts only in church, but...

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  • 2004
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    The World of Nat King Cole

    The World of Nat King Cole

    1 2004 HD

    Combining rare original archive footage, home movies and authored by 40 intimate interviews with friends and celebrity fans this feature length film...

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  • 2003
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    Great Broadway Musical Moments from the Ed Sullivan Show

    Great Broadway Musical Moments from the Ed Sullivan Show

    1 2003 HD

    Relive the dazzling show stopping songs, dances and production numbers from some of your favorite Broadway musicals. Great Broadway Musical Moments...

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  • 1969
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    Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey: On Broadway

    Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey: On Broadway

    8 1969 HD

    "On Broadway" featured Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey, both red hot after their respective runs in the smash hit "Hello, Dolly!" on Broadway. The...

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  • 2003
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    Passing the Baton: The Making of The Fox and the Hound

    Passing the Baton: The Making of The Fox and the Hound

    6 2003 HD

    A look at the making of the classic 1981 Disney film that saw the transition from Disney's Nine Old Men to the new guard who would usher in the...

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  • 1982
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    Night of 100 Stars

    Night of 100 Stars

    6.5 1982 HD

    The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City...

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  • 1974
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    One More Time

    One More Time

    1 1974 HD

    Musical comedy stars of the past and present bridge the musical generation gap as they perform their particular specialties and re-create some...

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  • 1977
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    The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

    6.295 1977 HD

    Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation...

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  • 1976
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    Donny & Marie

    Donny & Marie

    6.5 1976 HD

    Donny & Marie is an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny...

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  • 1948
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    The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    6.667 1948 HD

    The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by...

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  • 1976
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    The Muppet Show

    The Muppet Show

    8 1976 HD

    Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.

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  • 1950
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    Your Show of Shows

    Your Show of Shows

    5.5 1950 HD

    Your Show of Shows was a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the United States on NBC, from February 25, 1950, until June 5,...

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  • 1970
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    The Flip Wilson Show

    The Flip Wilson Show

    4.8 1970 HD

    The Flip Wilson Show is an hour long variety show that aired in the U.S. on NBC from September 17, 1970 to June 27, 1974. The show starred American...

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  • 1956
    imgS7 E9

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    5.3 1956 HD

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on NBC from October 1956 to June 1963. The series was...

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  • 1956
    imgS5 E31

    The Steve Allen Show

    The Steve Allen Show

    5 1956 HD

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  • 1953
    imgS72 E1

    The Oscars

    The Oscars

    7 1953 HD

    An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a...

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  • 1961
    imgS22 E21

    The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

    5.143 1961 HD

    The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much...

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  • 1962
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    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    7.37 1962 HD

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally...

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  • 1948
    imgS24 E26

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    6.667 1948 HD

    The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by...

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  • 1971
    imgS1 E15

    The Pearl Bailey Show

    The Pearl Bailey Show

    1 1971 HD

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  • 1959
    imgS1 E13

    The Big Party

    The Big Party

    1 1959 HD

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  • 1967
    imgS11 E24

    The Carol Burnett Show

    The Carol Burnett Show

    7.543 1967 HD

    The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and...

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  • 1956
    imgS61 E2

    Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

    5 1956 HD

    The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The...

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  • 1956
    imgS61 E2

    Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

    5 1956 HD

    The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The...

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  • 1968
    imgS12 E100

    The Dick Cavett Show

    The Dick Cavett Show

    6.658 1968 HD

    The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.

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  • 1950
    imgS1 E876

    What's My Line?

    What's My Line?

    6.7 1950 HD

    Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or...

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  • 1963
    imgS4 E29

    The Danny Kaye Show

    The Danny Kaye Show

    6.3 1963 HD

    The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert...

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  • 1961
    imgS22 E21

    The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

    5.143 1961 HD

    The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much...

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  • 1961
    imgS22 E21

    The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

    5.143 1961 HD

    The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much...

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