Eartha Kitt

Background

Eartha Mae Keith was born in North or St. Matthews, South Carolina, on January 17, 1927. Annie Mae Keith, her mother, was of Cherokee and African ancestry and worked on a cotton plantation. Keith is thought to have been born out of wedlock and had a rough upbringing. Her mother abandoned her to live with her aunt and her lover. Keith was taken to another family in New York City when her mother died.

Keith began her singing career with the Katherine Dunham Company in 1943. Her distinctive voice made her a prominent and well-liked vocalist in Paris nightclubs. She had prominent roles in films such as “New Faces” (1954) and “Anna Lucasta” (1955). She also appeared in Broadway productions like “Shinbone Alley” (1970) and “Jolly’s Progress” (1959). Keith played Catwoman in the American T.V. series “Batman” in 1967. Keith spoke out against the Vietnam War while attending an organized luncheon at the White House. The officials were unhappy about this, and she struggled to find work in the United States after that. Keith concentrated on her performances in Europe and Asia in the 1970s. She had a lead role in the Blaxploitation film “Friday Foster” in 1975. Keith had a big comeback on Broadway in 1978 with the musical — “Timbuktu.” She has voiced characters in animated shows like “The Magic School Bus” and “The Wild Thornberrys.” She advocated for various social causes, including women’s empowerment and homosexual marriage acceptance. “Thursday’s Child,” “Alone with Me,” and “I’m Still Here: Confessions of a Sex Kitten” are her three autobiographies.

Keith’s romantic relationships were often in the headlines. She had affairs with Charles Revson, a businessman, and John Barry Ryan III, a banking heir. She married John William McDonald in 1960, and the couple had a daughter named Kitt McDonald. In 1965, the couple divorced. Keith died on December 25, 2008, at her home in Connecticut from colon cancer.