Josephine Baker was an American-born French dancer, singer, and actress (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalized French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975).
Her professional life was mostly focused on Europe, particularly in her adopted France. She was the first black woman to play a leading role in a major motion picture, Mario Nalpas and Henri Étiévant’s 1927 silent film Siren of the Tropics.
Who was the first black woman entertainer?
At the beginning of her career, Baker was one of the most well-known entertainers to host a revue in the Paris Folies Bergère. In 1927, her participation in the revue Un vent de folie created a stir in the community. Her outfit, which was minimal—a short skirt made of fake bananas and a beaded necklace—became a classic representation of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties.
Artists and intellectuals of the time praised Baker, referring to her as the “Black Venus,” the “Black Pearl,” the “Bronze Venus,” and the “Creole Goddess.” She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but after marrying French entrepreneur Jean Lion in 1937, she gave up her American citizenship and became a French citizen. She brought up her kids in France.
