Eartha took Marnie's surname, going from Keith to Kitt, and in contrast to the cotton-picking demanded of her in South Carolina, her new life involved piano lessons, dance lessons, and according to Biography, an enrollment in the New York School of Performing Arts. As with all of the previous adult figures in Kitt's life, Marnie eventually became abusive to her. In 2006, according to The New York Times, Kitt made the tragic discovery that she'd developed colon cancer. She was then sent to live in New York City with Mamie Kitt, who she learned was her biological mother; she had no knowledge of her father, except that his surname was Kitt and that he was supposedly a son of the owner of the farm where she had been born. Around this time, Anna Mae fell ill — Kitt later claimed that her mother was probably poisoned — and Kitt was brought to her for a final visit, whereupon she watched her die. And true, when you look back on the most powerful and influential entertainment stars of the 20th century, Eartha Kitt might not be the first name you think of, but that's only because she was so outspoken and so true to herself that even the feds tried to ruin her career and block her out of the public consciousness. Later, according to The Guardian, it was revealed that McDonald had been addicted to painkillers. Classic TV programs like The Flip Wilson Show, Sanford and Son, and Good Times, kept us glued to our small screens. This pattern reoccurred until she was a teenager, at which point she left Marnie's home for good, becoming homeless. https://www.grunge.com/190053/the-tragic-real-life-story-of-eartha-kitt Soon enough, she also moved to the big screen, earning an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Anna Lucasta. She earned a second Tony nomination for The Wild Party musical, a Grammy nomination for her cabaret collection Back in Business, and she nabbed two Daytime Emmy Awards in the 2000s for her voice acting role as Yzma in The Emperor's New School. From the beginning of her life to her later struggles, here's the tragic real-life story of Eartha Kitt. Eartha performed at venues in London, where she began carving out her smoldering on-stage sexual persona. After reviewing the document, Eartha openly wept; she was struck by the fact that the racist south still managed to protect this white man even decades after his death. She died of colon cancer in her home in Weston, Connecticut, on Christmas Day 2008. After all, she was a powerful, bold, progressive woman of color living in the era of Jim Crow, appearing everywhere from popular music to films. According to the National Visionary Leadership Project, Kitt often used her fame to advocate for social justice causes. After the death of Annie Mae, Eartha was sent to live with another relative named Mamie Kitt (who may, in fact, have been her biological mother) in Harlem, New York City, where she attended the Metropolitan Vocational High School (later renamed the High School of Performing Arts). Kitt lived with another family until Riley’s death. During this time, as she worked in a New York factory, she would sleep on rooftops or in the subway. Following this experience, Kitt never remarried. She returned to Broadway to star in Timbuktu!, earning her first Tony Award nomination. A fighter, Kitt would eventually reclaim her career in the U.S.A., returning to Broadway in 1978 in the hit Timbuktu!, and still speaking her mind until her death in 2008. The sex kitten’s allure eventually landed her a recording contract in 1954. We were also awestruck when this Black woman very openly flirted with the show’s Caucasian lead, Batman, played by Adam West. This smear campaign forced her to leave the country, in search of jobs in Europe. Looking back, when it comes to these achievements, she can rightfully be considered an icon. While watching white woman after white woman give placid speeches regarding "flower pots on the windowsills of poverty," according to Vice, Kitt repeatedly raised her hand to speak and was ignored until the end. Venues and contracts were lost. She is both the only performer to win the Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program award three times, as well as the only winner to win three consecutive awards. Eartha holds Daytime Emmy Award records. And her star truly started to shine when she was a teenager. However, she faced a great deal of pain, abuse, hardships, and government censorship. Legacy.com is the leading provider of online obituaries for the newspaper industry. Eartha Kitt's triumphs are impressive enough on their own, but they're made even more significant in the context of her time. ‘50s sex symbol Mamie Van Doren on leaving Hollywood after Marilyn Monroe's death. In 1998, she was finally given a copy of her birth certificate only to see that her father’s name had been blacked out by the clerk’s office. The one thing in life that finally did catch up to her, as with any human being, was her health. The young girl was sent to live with her Aunt Rosa, and unfortunately, this extended family was no less abusive to her. Welles famously proclaimed that Kitt was "the most exciting woman in the world," and soon, the world agreed. After running afoul of Lyndon B. Johnson and the CIA, Eartha Kitt was driven into exile. That's why I know what I'm talking about. They don't want to go to school because they're going to be snatched off from their mothers to be shot in Vietnam.". She was once quoted as saying, “a man has always wanted to lay me down, but he never wanted to pick me up.”. Williamwas born on November 14 1878, in Fleming, Kentucky. Anna Mae resented Kitt for her lighter skin tone, while the outside world oppressed the future star for her black heritage (with some Cherokee roots, as well). Welles chose Eartha because he thought she was a perfect representation of “all women of all times.” Over the years, there had been rumors that she and Welles, a notorious womanizer, had been lovers, which she vehemently denied. The globally beloved performer would later consider herself an original “Material Girl” because of her liaisons with wealthy men. This speech reportedly caused Lady Bird Johnson to break down in tears, but after Kitt left the White House, the CIA got to work. She fell in love with singers like Billie Holiday and Billy Eckstine. She died in 2008, in Connecticut, at the age of 81 years old, finally ending a career that had spanned six decades. Years later, however, the young songstress believed the woman was, in fact, her biological mother who had given her up because she was unmarried. Kitt was the third actress to portray the leather-clad femme fatale, but as ComicsVerse argues, she was the Catwoman that mattered most. If she got there and they were, she would send a "bus boy" out to integrate the audience before she went onstage. Mamie D Kitt (born Lykes), 1900 - 1996 Mamie D Kitt was born on month day 1900, at birth place, Kentucky, to William David Lykes and Martha Thomas Lykes. Love’s comin’ at ya and so is Melba Moore…again! Of course, one of Kitt's most immortal roles will forever be that of Catwoman, the famed Batman villain whom she portrayed in the classic Adam West series of the '60s. Mamie had 2 brothers: Edgar Roosevelt Lykes and one other sibling. However, while the U.S. government had tried to end her career, she'd never been one to give up or stay quiet. According to Biography, Eartha Kitt didn't live with her mother, Anna Mae, for very long. Eartha also discovered her birthday was actually January 17, 1927. Between "Santa Baby" and Broadway, Eartha Kitt's popularity was a game changer, as she was a black woman who commanded the stage, the radio, and the TV screen whenever she appeared. The woman who once admitted she did not carry herself as a Black person but as a woman who belonged to everyone, was a staunch supporter of LGBT rights, and advocated for AID/HIV research and same-sex marriage. So when do you officially become a senior citizen? In life, there are certain privileges that so many people take for granted, such as knowing your parents and your birthday, which a young Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith) didn't have the luxury of experiencing, according to The Guardian. When Eartha took over the TV role, the other villains paled in comparison as she won us over with her iconic husky cackle, soothing purrs, and sultry saunter. And after that, she never slowed down. Unfortunately, the relationship didn't last. 1930 United States Federal Census lived in 1920, at address , Florida. The press made mincemeat out of Eartha. While Eartha learned French, she discovered she could suggestively roll her ‘r’s, and in doing so, created her famous trademark grrr-owl. After her mother’s untimely death, Eartha was sent to NYC’s Harlem to live with another aunt, Mamie Kitt. She was an American singer, cabaret star, dancer, actress and activist, best known for her recordings “C’est … Her… After Annie Mae's death, Aretha was sent to live with another relative named Mamie Kitt (who might, in fact, be her birth mother) in Harlem, New York, where she attended metropolitan professional high school (she later changed her name to performing arts high school). Eartha Kitt had many relationships in her life, but she never let them define who she was. This snapshot of Mamie Kitt's life was captured by the 1940 U.S. Census. In 1967, she was tapped to play the sinuous villainess, Catwoman. Throughout her life, Eartha had always wanted to know the name of the white man who had fathered her. She managed to snag the audition and landed a Broadway gig as a member of Dunham’s dance company. When Mamie Kitt was born about 1926, her mother, Hattie, was 23. In 1968, Eartha Kitt was furious about the messed-up war in Vietnam. She was only 8 when her mother mysteriously passed away; Eartha believed she had been poisoned. About two years after the initial discovery of the disease, it finally claimed her. In 2007, Kitt celebrated her 80th birthday with a concert at Carnegie Hall titled “Eartha Kitt and Friends.” On December 25, 2008, the world mourned the loss of the true legend when Kitt passed away from colon cancer at the age of 81. We remember…Imitation of Life (1934) star Fredi Washington who refused to pass for white. Her portrayal was smart, sleek, and intelligent, electrifying the screen whenever she appeared, and she regularly outsmarted the dynamic duo at every turn. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her brilliant performance. Previously, Mamie lived in Baltimore, MD. The singer stated that her father was the white son of a plantation owner and that she had been conceived by rape. In 1951, Eartha got her first big break in the City of Lights, Paris. Needless to say, this discrimination combo ostracized the young girl. She was noted for her amazing voice and expressive singing. All Rights Reserved, Black History Month: Journalist A. Peter Bailey discusses the real Malcolm X, his friend, Blue Magic’s Wendell Sawyer discusses the magic of the blue, Clifton Davis shares his purpose, passions and spirituality, A few things you might not know about the legendary Billie Holiday. When she starred as Catwoman, Batman's most morally ambiguous foe, her charisma was electric. Kitt was born Eartha Mae Keith on a cotton plantation in North, South Carolina, which is a small town in Orangeburg County near Columbia, South Carolina. To "earn her keep," Kitt was forced to pick cotton for them, even though she was less than seven years old. As amazing as Kitt's Catwoman was, though, it's important to remember that her legacy runs far deeper than that. Going to Europe, she went on tour across over 100 countries, singing in 12 languages, and continuing to work steadily. She was also connected to Malcolm X, and though she expressed that they had some ideological differences, they once came together to speak at a rally event put together by Jackie Robinson following a church bombing in 1963. Despite all the hardships she faced in her life, nothing could stop Eartha Kitt, not even the CIA. It didn't help that Anna Mae had suffered an abusive childhood herself, which she still bore the scars of. McDonald didn't show up for court, but he was ordered to pay monthly child support. In the late 50s and throughout the 60s, Eartha would share the screen with Sidney Poitier in The Mark of the Hawk (1957), and in Anna Lucasta with Sammy Davis, Jr. (1958). Eartha’s career in the U.S. had been ruined by the White House incident, so she was forced to retreat to her beloved Europe, where she worked in exile. Despite a life filled with tragedy, Eartha Kitt was obviously a super successful performer with many career highlights. Kitt fell into a cycle of being beaten, running away from home, and then returning. The gossip grew louder. Kitt lived with another family until Riley's death. According to The New York Times, the couple divorced in 1963, with Kitt leaving McDonald on grounds of what was then described as "mental cruelty." Despite this diagnosis, she kept performing at her max, at one point doing a victorious opening performance for New York City's newly-improved Cafe Carlyle. Upon Riley's death she was reunited with her mother, Mamie, and learned that her father (who she never met) had been a poor cotton farmer.In New York City, Ms. Kitt joined the Katherine Dunham Company and appeared in the film Casbah in 1948. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/eartha-kitt-10595.php And still no indication where the name "Keith" came from; the similarity of the names "Keith" and "Kitt" is suspicious but could of course be coincidental. She appeared on the hit TV show I Spy with Bill Cosby that earned her an Emmy Nomination in 1965. She created dance music in the '80s and wrote three autobiographies, including I'm Still Here: Confessions of a Sex Kitten. Eartha came back home in 1979 with a stellar return to Broadway in the show Timbuktu!, it was a revised version of Kismet with an all-Black cast. Mamie Kitt was born circa 1912, at birth place, South Carolina, to James Kitt and Fannie Kitt.Mamie lived in 1920, at address , Florida. President Jimmy Carter personally invited her back to the White House as an apology for her past treatment. In her time, as Vice explains, she was a subversive role model when it came to feminism, civil rights, and sex positivity. One day, as reported by The New York Times, the 16-year-old Kitt learned that the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, the nation's first African-American modern dance troupe, was holding auditions in New York. When Eartha Mae Keith was eight years old, her life started to take a different direction. We’d sit in front of our Zenith color TV to watch the Dynamic Duo tussle with the greatest Catwoman to date. What happened, to her best understanding (via The Telegraph), was that she was the product of a white plantation owner's son raping her black mother, Anna Mae. The government agency compiled a dossier that categorized Eartha as “a sadistic nymphomaniac whose escapades and loose morals were the talk of Paris.” Of course, the CIA’s alleged discoveries were all gossip and innuendo. Today, years after her death, Kitt has slowly become recognized for the legend she always was. She also appeared in the Broadway musical, Saint Louis Blues with Nat King Cole, Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway, and Ella Fitzgerald. They soon had a daughter, Kitt McDonald. Well, suffice it to say, after the controversial speech, the First Lady was in tears. However, Eartha Kitt did get married in 1960 to Bill McDonald, a Korean war veteran and accountant. She was blacklisted by President Lyndon B. Johnson and investigated by the CIA. Starting as a … For six decades, the American entertainer Eartha Kitt, who has died aged 81 of colon cancer, was a showbusiness force of nature. She was p She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C’est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash […] In fact, it wouldn't be until 1998, when she was 71 years old, that she'd finally be able to lay eyes on her own birth certificate — a process that necessitated a massive, protracted legal battle on her part — and even then, the authorities chose to black out the name of her father, leaving him forever unknown. Soon, the once blacklisted star would become a favorite at the famed Café Carlyle in NYC in the 90s. She married William O. McDonald in 1960, and the couple had a daughter named Madison in 1961 before getting divorced in 1965. 1930 United States Federal Census © Copyright 2021 50BOLD.com. Not only did she never compromise for a man, but as Vice points out, she found the sheer concept of doing so completely laughable. Eartha was once quoted as saying, “a man has always wanted to lay me down, but he never wanted to pick me up.”. My parents told me that when I was born, people came to the nursery in the hospital and would get into arguments when they saw that Eartha Kitts baby was a pudgy, white, girl. You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. Eartha also appeared in the Broadway production of The Wild Party (2000), where she was again nominated for a Tony Award. Kitt toured with the group for a few years, according to Biography, then embarked on a solo career as a nightclub singer. Eartha experienced a cultural explosion in the famed Black mecca—jazz, jukeboxes, dance, the arts. Personal details about Mamie included: political affiliation was a registered Democrat; ethnicity was African American; and religious views were listed as Christian. In 1940, she was 14 years old and lived in East Sanford, North Carolina, with her mother and brother. After the death of her mother, the young girl was sent to live with her New York City "aunt," Marnie Kitt, according to The New York Times. As the decades passed her by, none of her youth or vigor ever seemed to fade in the slightest. In 1968 during the height of the Vietnam war, Eartha, along with 41 other women, was invited to a White House luncheon hosted by the then First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson. The album cuts included, I Want to Be Evil, C’est si Bon, and what was to become her most recognized song, Santa Baby. Eartha’s mother, Annie Mae Keith was of Cherokee and African descent. Eartha Kitt : biography 17 January 1927 – 25 December 2008 Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. At age 18, Eartha, who had always had an affinity for the arts, appeared by chance at an audition for the performance school run by the legendary Black dancer Katherine Dunham. As she put it, falling in love should be about loving oneself and then sharing that love together. ... Teenager stabbed to death … As a woman in her early 80s, though, Eartha could only outrun cancer for so long. Fox News Exclusive interview with Mamie Van Doren. When singing and dancing on Broadway, Eartha Kitt turned heads, once being hailed as "the most exciting woman in the world." Eartha Mae Keith, was born near the town of North, South Carolina, on January 17, 1927. Eartha and McDonald divorced in 1965; she never remarried. In 1960, she would marry John William McDonald, a real estate investor. Upon returning home to New York, Kitt hit multiple Broadway shows, and she followed this success by releasing charts-topping music such as the now-iconic "Santa Baby" and "I Want to be Evil." A smart, petite, and sexy actress, Eartha Kitt, took on the role that had belonged to a white actress and became the first Black Catwoman. The year was 1967 when the campy hit show, Batman, hired the purrfect embodiment of a villainess, Catwoman. During the '60s, her contracts strictly required that, for any performance she gave, the audience couldn't be segregated. She dated Charles Revson (Revlon cosmetics founder) and banking heir John Barry Ryan lll. Eartha Kitt is often remembered for her showbiz work, and while that was her career, her legacy is defined by so much more than that. Meanwhile, Mamie and Eartha battled constantly, and the young girl would often run away from a home where she felt unloved. When the performer was allowed to speak, she stood on a chair and made an impassioned speech about her discontent with the war and other aspects of life in this country. Eartha Mae Keith was born on the 17th January 1927, in North, a town in South Carolina, USA, and died on the 25th December 2008 in Weston, Connecticut, USA. According to The Guardian, Kitt's daughter even went to school in London, to the point where she now considers England like a second home. After giving a spectacular performance at a Parisian venue, Eartha was approached by the famed actor Orson Welles who had been in the audience. Managed by: Ric Dickinson: Last Updated: May 23, 2018 Kitt continued taking risks, challenging the status quo, and trying new roles well into her elderly years. So the young child was sent to live with her Aunt Rosa, who mistreated her. These types of shows were relatable representations of Black people that had previously not been depicted. In later years, according to Black History in America, Kitt fervently championed the cause of LGBTQ+ rights and same-sex marriage. They rebel in the street. So when she was invited to a special White House luncheon held by Lady Bird Johnson, according to The Telegraph, she decided to speak out. Eartha Kitt passed away from colon cancer on December 25, 2008, at her home in Weston, CT., three weeks away from what would have been her 82nd birthday. A friend dared her to try out, and she nailed it. Kitt McDonald, the only child that the famous singer and actress Eartha Kitt had, took to Instagram to share a photo of her father John McDonald on Father's Day.. Anna Mae raised Kitt in her first few years but never told her when she was born or who her father was, and this subject would pain Kitt throughout her life. As Eartha's daughter, Kitt Shapiro, would later write, the South Carolina authorities were still "protecting" the name of white plantation owner, even at the dawn of the 21st century, at the cost of the mixed race daughter he sired. Summary: Unfortunately, Mamie Lewis passed away at the age of 84, the date of death was 08/17/2017. A funeral service will be held Saturday for Kadejah K. Mallory, 21 Capitol Court, Farrell, formerly of Maine. She was born Eartha Mae Keith on January 17, 1927 in South Carolina to an African American mother and a white father. The CIA used this dossier to sling mud at Kitt's reputation, making it impossible for her to find work. This portrait, sadly, wasn't as rosy as it first looked. Mamie R Lewis are some of the alias or nicknames that Mamie had used. Finally, she stood atop her chair, faced the 41 polite dinner guests surrounding her, and said, "I have lived in the gutters. She was then sent to live in New York City with Mamie Kitt, who she learned was her biological mother.She had no knowledge of her father, except that his surname was Kitt and that he was supposedly a son of the owner of the farm where she had been born. Born in South Carolina in the 1920s and raised in poverty, Kitt's early days were shrouded in a thick cloud of mystery that she'd never quite penetrate. After her mother’s untimely death, Eartha was sent to NYC’s Harlem to live with another aunt, Mamie Kitt. Welles approached the young songstress about a part in his play Time Runs, based on the Faust legend. Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. Regardless, The Guardian writes that when Anna Mae settled with a new romantic partner, she abandoned Kitt. And when speaking truth to power, she never backed down, even when standing inside the White House itself. In the photo, a very young Kitt was seen wearing a blue and white dress and a white headband while playing next to John, who wore black pants and matching shirt. Suffice it to say, my siblings and I were all in when Catwoman appeared as the villain of the week. Death: Immediate Family: Daughter of William Keitt and Fanny Keitt Wife of Daniel Sturkie Mother of Eartha Kitt Sister of Susanna Keitt; Pearlie Keitt and Almeda Keitt Half sister of James Keitt and Meillus Keitt. In her 20s — as her persona developed into the definitive, bold one remembered today — she performed in Paris cabarets. The couple would have one daughter, Kitt McDonald. The agency assembled documents, on the request of the president, full of gossip and hearsay regarding the celebrity, which accused her of being a "sadistic nymphomaniac." It was one such performance that caught the eye of one Orson Welles, the famed filmmaker behind Citizen Kane, who promptly cast her as Helen of Troy in his stage adaptation of Dr. Faustus called Time Runs, according to Vice. Kitt Shapiro, 51, described how her mother 'carried the scar of her rejection' throughout her life by both black and white people. Mamie D Kitt, 1901 - 1996Mamie DKitt19011996KentuckyFlorida Mamie D Kittwas born in 1901, at birth place, Kentucky, to William David Lykesand Martha Thomas Lykes. She was told Mamie was her aunt. In fact, even old age barely seemed to slow her down. It says Mamie Kitt was "in Kitt's estimation Eartha's biological mother", so she had guesses as to who her father was and who her mother was, but not certainty. Eartha was physically and sexually abused and forced to pick cotton to help pay her way. Actresses Eartha Kitt Net Worth Eartha Kitt Net Worth 2021, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography During the 60’s she was active in the civil rights movement and refused to play in segregated venues. The pretty, petite, lithe, and graceful Eartha would dance with the Dunham troupe for three years. Though rumors often flew — particularly regarding her relationship with the legendary but really weird film star, Orson Welles — Kitt once mused that, "The most exciting men in my life have been the men who have never taken me to bed.". Eartha lived with Anna Mae in grinding poverty until her mother married a man who refused to accept her because she was mixed race. Legacy.com enhances online obituaries with Guest Books, funeral home information, and florist links. Mamie Kitt insisted on piano lessons, but the two fought, with Eartha later complaining that Mamie "never felt any affection for me". From early on, Kitt was a big supporter of the Civil Rights movement, and while she and Dr. Martin Luther King weren't close, they did exchange letters of mutual admiration. Her last encounter with Malcolm X was the Sunday before his death. Mamie passed away on month day 1980, at age 79 at death place, Minnesota. Marthawas born in 1883, in Owingsville, Kentucky. And later, the singer came to believe that this woman might've secretly been her true, biological mother. She’d find temporary digs on rooftops or abandoned buildings. Kitt's version of Selina Kyle has continued to influence portrayals of the iconic character, and her casting — as a woman of color, playing a role traditionally considered white — charted the course for the casting of future Catwoman performers like Halle Berry in 2004's Catwoman, and Zoe Kravitz in 2021's The Batman. Kitt worked this way for a decade, but according to The New York Times, the late '70s saw her make a huge U.S. comeback. Years later, however, the young songstress believed the woman was, in fact, her biological mother who had given her up because she was unmarried. While touring with the company, she traveled to Paris, Britain, and eventually decided to leave the company to pursue a singing career performing in small entertainment venues. She was told Mamie was her aunt. Eartha’s reputation as a talent grew immensely, and she continued to perform in clubs on both shores, on Broadway, and now Hollywood also came a-calling. The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Eartha Kitt, the National Visionary Leadership Project.
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