Josephine Baker

Entertainer, Actress, Singer

June 3, 1906 St. Louis, Missouri, United States

April 12, 1975 Paris, France

Jean Lion (m. 1937–1938) William Howard Baker, Joe Bouillon (m. 1947–1957)

Proclaimed to be 'the most sensational woman anyone ever saw' by Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker was one of the most successful entertainers in France and other parts of Europe. She scintillated audiences with her mesmerising dance performances and went on to become ‘the highest-paid chorus girl in vaudeville’. Much revered for her exotic beauty, Baker enjoyed celebrity status for 50 almost years. She also acted in a few films. Unfortunately, racism laid constraints in her career and she was not well received in the United States of America. She served as a source of intelligence during the World War II, gathering secret information about German troops, supporting the French Resistance movement. This earned her one of the highest French military honours, the ‘Croix de guerre'. She made several notable contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, blatantly refusing to perform in segregated clubs and participating in active demonstrations. She also delivered a speech alongside Martin Luther King, Jr at the ‘March on Washington’. She had a huge fan-following and was given the nicknames, 'Black Pearl', 'Bronze Venus' and ‘Creole Goddess’.