By all accounts as fiery, lusty and tart as her magnificent voice, Dinah Washington (August 29, 1924 - December 14, 1963) had three ruling passions: music, minks and men, not necessarily in that order. Officially married seven times (some sources claim eight or nine), La Washington worked hard and lived harder. Pink champagne was demanded -- and provided -- at her recording sessions, and Washington was well aware of, and not afraid to tout, her own abilities. "I can sing anything," she once remarked, "anything at all." And she could, and did: dirty blues, straight R&B, pop ballads, jazz standards, pseudo-rock pop trifles -- all received the Washington treatment at one time or another, and although they varied wildly in songwriting quality and craftsmanship, Washington's authoritative presence and voice somehow made them work.
A superstar of the black community during the 1950's, with such singles as "Baby Get Lost" (1949), "I Won't Cry Anymore" (1951), and "TV is the Thing This Year" (1953) staples on R&B radio and jukeboxes, Washington finally earned the respect of the jazz community with a legendary appearance at 1958's Newport Jazz Festival. The following year, she "crossed over" to the pop charts in a big way, with her million-selling revival of "What a Diff'rence a Day Made." The Queen of the Blues was bigger than ever, but she didn't live much longer to enjoy her worldwide acclaim: four years later, she was dead at age 39, after combining too much liquor and the diet pills she used constantly to battle her bulge.
The beloved Isabel Sanford (August 29, 1917 - July 9, 2004) first came to national attention with her role as Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's maid in the 1967 social comedy, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? A few years later, she created the role which made her a TV superstar: Louise "Weezy" Jefferson, wife of blowhard dry cleaning magnate George Jefferson. The couple made their debut as recurring characters on All in the Family, then were given their own show, The Jeffersons, in 1975. It ran for a remarkable 11 seasons, with Sanford winning a Best Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy in 1981; even more remarkably, she was the first African-American actress to do so.
After The Jeffersons ended its run, the public affection for George and Weezy remained so strong, that Sanford and co-star Sherman Hemsley continued to recreate their characters on both series television (Roseanne) and in commercials (Old Navy, Nick at Nite). The only one of seven children to survive infancy, Isabel Sanford passed away in 2004 from complications stemming from heart disease.
Not unlike her predecessor as Hollywood's #1 Swede, Garbo, Ingrid Bergman (August 29, 1915 - August 29, 1982) had very definite ideas about stardom and her own image. After being signed by producer David O. Selznick in 1939 to star in his Intermezzo, she flatly refused to change her name or alter her appearance in any way (which he suggested include capping her teeth and plucking her eyebrows). This naturalness and independent spirit made the luminous Bergman stand out among her lacquered sisters, and she became one of the decade's reigning superstars.
Aside from Casablanca (1942), which she herself referred to dismissively as "the one I made with Bogart," some of Bergman's most acclaimed films included Gaslight (1944, Best Actress Oscar), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) and Notorious (1946). She also appeared extensively on stage, winning the first-ever Best Actress Tony for Joan of Lorraine in 1947. Shortly after, Bergman met Italian director Roberto Rossellini; the two began an affair, which resulted in a pregnancy while Bergman was still married to her first husband, Aron Lindstrom. The resulting scandal was shocking at the time, and seemingly ruinous for Bergman's career; she was off the American screen for over half a decade.
In 1956, Bergman made her comeback via Anastasia, perhaps not ironically as an exiled princess. She won her second Best Actress Oscar the following year; her friend Cary Grant accepted it on her behalf. She made her first post-scandal public appearance in 1958 at the next Oscars ceremony, and was given a standing ovation. Although her days as a viable leading lady were nearing an end, Bergman continued to act in Hollywood and European productions, as well as the occasional television event and on stage. In 1974, her supporting role in the all-star Agatha Christie mystery, Murder on the Orient Express, won her a third Academy Award.
Ingrid Bergman died on her 67th birthday in 1982, after a long battle with breast cancer.
But did Dinah ever try Opera like sister Re-Re? Loved DW during her blonde period.
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