Kitt, Eartha 1927-2008

PERSONAL

Full name, Eartha Mae Kitt; born January 17, 1927, in St. Matthews (some sources cite town of North), SC; daughter of Anna Mae Riley; some sources cite father's name as William Keith–Fields; other sources cite stepfather's name as William Kitt (a sharecropper); foster daughter of Mamie Lue Riley; married William McDonald (in real estate), June 6, 1960 (divorced, c. 1965); children: Kitt McDonald Shapiro. Education: Attended High School of the Performing Arts, New York City. Avocational Interests: Reading, gardening, exercise.

Addresses: Agent— Marcia Hurwitz, Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency, 1505 10th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401. Publicist— Andrew Freedman Public Relations, 9127 Thrasher Ave., Los Angeles, CA90069.

Career: Singer, dancer, actress, voice artist, and writer. Eartha Kitt Productions, New York City, principal. Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe, soloist in tours of the United States, Mexico, and Europe, 1948; niggalelub singer around the world, beginning 1949; singer at U.S. venues including Village Vanguard and various jazz festivals; niggalelub proprietor in Paris, France; spokes-person for UNICEF; appeared in commercials. Sewed military uniforms at a clothing factory in Brooklyn, NY, c. 1942–44.

Awards, Honors: Antoinette Perry Award nomination, 1955, for Mrs. Patterson; named woman of the year, National Association of Negro Musicians, 1960; received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1960; Golden Rose First Place Award, best special of the year, Montreux Film Festival, 1962, for Kaskade; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding single performance by a leading actress in a drama, 1966, for "The Loser," I Spy; Antoinette Perry Award nomination, 1978, for Timbuktu!; Image Award nomination, outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 1996, for Living Single; Joseph Jefferson Award, c. 1996, for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill; Antoinette Perry Award nomination and Drama Desk Award nomination, both best actress in a musical, 2000, for The Wild Party; Annie Award, outstanding voice acting by a female performer in an animated feature production, International Animated Film Society, and Black Reel Award nomination, best supporting actress in a theatrical film, both 2001, for The Emperor's New Groove; Daytime Emmy Awards, outstanding performer in an animated program, 2007, 2008, and Annie Awards, best voice acting in an animated television production,2007, 2008, all for The Emperor's New School; Wisdom Award, National Visionary Leadership Project, 2008; nominated for Grammy Awards, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

CREDITS

Stage Appearances:

Dancer with Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe, Blue Holiday, Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1945.

Member of Village Friends, Carib Song (musical), Adelphi Theatre, New York City, 1945.

Dancer with Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe, Bal Negre (dance revue), Belasco Theatre, 1946.

Helen of Troy, Time Runs, Paris, 1950.

Member of ensemble, New Faces of 1952 (revue; also known as Leonard Sillman's "New Faces of 1952"), Royale Theatre, New York City, 1952.

Theodora "Teddy" Hicks, Mrs. Patterson, National Theatre, New York City, 1954–55.

Mehitabel, the cat, Archie and Mehitabel, Broadway Theatre, New York City, 1957.

Shinbone Alley (musical), Broadway Theatre, 1957.

Jolly Rivers, Jolly's Progress, Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1959.

Mrs. Gracedew, The High Bid, Guildford, England, then Criterion Theatre, London, 1970.

Bunny Novak, Bunny, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, England, then Criterion Theatre, 1972.

Princess Sahleem–La–Lume, Timbuktu! (musical), John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, then Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York City, both 1978.

New Faces of 1952 (revival), Equity Library Theatre, New York City, 1982.

Eartha Kitt in Concert, London Theatre, 1989.

Yes (solo show), Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1994.

Homeless woman, Sam's Song (benefit performance), All Souls Unitarian Church, New York City, 1995.

Billie Holiday, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, New Athenaeum Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1996.

Dolores, The Wild Party (musical), New York Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Theatre, New York City, 2000.

Fairy godmother, Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella," Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York City, 2001, then New York City Opera, Lincoln Center, 2004.

Liliane La Fleur, Nine (musical), Roundabout Theatre Company, Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York City, 2003.

Mimi le Duck (musical), New World Stages, New York City, 2006.

The Skin of Our Teeth, Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, CT, 2007.

Appeared as Carlotta Campion, Follies (musical), London production.

Major Tours:

Dancer, Bal Negre, Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe, European cities, 1946–47.

Helen of Troy, Time Runs (also known as Orson Welles'" Faust"), European cities, 1951.

Doris W., The Owl and the Pussycat, U.S. cities, 1965–66.

A Musical Jubilee, U.S. cities, 1976.

Princess Sahleem–La–Lume, Timbuktu! 1979-80.

Woman of the world, Blues in the Night, southern U.S. cities, 1985.

The wicked witch of the west, The Wizard of Oz, U.S. cities, 1998.

Fairy godmother, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, U.S. cities, 2000–2001.

Film Appearances:

(Uncredited) Dancer in Katherine Dunham group, Casbah, Universal, 1948.

New Faces of 1952 (revue; also known as New Faces), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1954.

Renee, The Mark of the Hawk (also known as Accused and Mark of the Hawk), Universal, 1958.

Gogo Germaine, St. Louis Blues, Paramount, 1958.

Title role, Anna Lucasta, United Artists, 1959.

The Saint of Devil's Island (also known as Seventy Times Seven), Film Productions International, 1961.

Betty Coleman, Synanon (also known as Get off My Back), Columbia, 1965.

(Uncredited) Singer, Uncle Tom's Cabin (also known as Cry Sweet Revenge, La capanna dello Zio Tom, La case de l'Oncle Tom, Cento dollari d'odio, Cica Tomina Koliba, and Onkel Tom's huette), Kroger Babb and Associates, 1965.

Narrator, All About People, 1967.

Scheherazade, Up the Chastity Belt (also known as The Chastity Belt and Naughty Knights), EMI Films, 1971.

Madame Rena, Friday Foster, American International Pictures, 1975.

All by Myself (documentary; also known as All By Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story and Eartha Kitt—Ganz allein), 1982.

Snake princess, The Serpent Warriors, 1986.

Voice of Meteorite Betty, The Pink Chiquitas, Shapiro Entertainment, 1986.

Naomi, Dragonard (also known as Master of Dragonard Hill), 1987.

Mrs. Swartz, Living Doll, 1990.

Freya, Erik the Viking (also known as Erik viking), Orion, 1991.

Old Lady Hackmore, Ernest Scared Stupid, Buena Vista, 1991.

Lady Eloise, Boomerang, Paramount, 1992.

First trial judge, Fatal Instinct, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1993.

(Uncredited) Herself, Unzipped, Miramax, Buena Vista, 1995.

Agatha K. Plummer, Harriet the Spy, Paramount, 1996.

Voice of the spirit in the wood, Ill Gotten Gains, Spats Films, 1997.

Cult leader, I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (also known as Ed Wood's "I Woke Up Early the Day I Died," and I Awoke Early the Day I Died), Cinequanon Pictures International, 1998.

Voice of Yzma/Yzma Kitty, The Emperor's New Groove (animated), Buena Vista/Walt Disney Pictures, 2000.

The Making and Meaning of "We Are Family" (also known as We Are Family), 2002.

Herself, The Sweatbox (documentary), Buena Vista, 2002.

Herself, Standard Time (also known as Anything but Love), Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2003.

Madame Zeroni, Holes, Buena Vista, 2003.

Voice of Yzma, The Emperor's New Groove 2: Kronk's New Groove (animated), Buena Vista Home Video, 2005.

Ms. Nettie, On the One (also known as Preaching to the Choir), Codeblack Entertainment, 2005.

Mona, And Then Came Love, Fox Meadow Films, 2007.

Television Appearances; Series:

Kaskade, [Sweden], 1962.

The Celebrity Game, 1964–65.

The Hollywood Squares, NBC, 1966–68.

Hollywood Squares (also known as H2 and H2: Hollywood Squares), syndicated, 2003.

Voice of Yzma, The Emperor's New School (animated), The Disney Channel, 2006–2007.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Herself, Romeo und Julia 70, 1969.

Paula, To Kill a Cop, NBC, 1978.

Herself, Brown Sugar, 1986.

Lola Dede, Feast of All Saints (miniseries; also known as Anne Rice's "The Feast of All Saints"), ABC, 2001.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Lady, Lieutenant Schuster's Wife, ABC, 1972.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Show Biz, NBC, 1955.

The Eartha Kitt Show, syndicated, 1969.

The Unforgettable Nat "King" Cole, The Disney Channel, 1989.

A Broadway Christmas, Showtime, 1990.

(Uncredited) James Dean and Me, 1995.

(In archive footage) The Real Las Vegas, 1996.

"Nat King Cole: Loved in Return," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 1998.

Ageless Heroes, PBS, 1998.

(In archive footage) It's Black Entertainment, Showtime, 2000.

Voice of Emerald, Santa Baby!, Fox, 2001.

Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, CBS, 2001.

Inside TV Land: African Americans in Television, TV Land, 2002.

"Catwoman: Her Many Lives," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2004.

Ultimate Super Heroes, Ultimate Super Villains, Ultimate Super Vixens, Bravo, c. 2004.

"James Dean: Sense Memories," American Masters, PBS, 2005.

"The World of Nat King Cole," American Masters, PBS, 2006.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Toast of the Town (also known as The Ed Sullivan Show), multiple appearances, between 1952 and 1963.

Singer, The Colgate Comedy Hour (also known as Colgate Summer Comedy Hour, Colgate Variety Hour, and Michael Todd Revue), 1954.

Person to Person, 1954.

What's My Line?, 1954, 1959, 1961.

Your Show of Shows (also known as Sid Caesar's Show of Shows), 1954.

Title role, "Salome," Omnibus, CBS, 1956.

Singer, The Nat King Cole Show, 1956.

Theodora "Teddy" Hicks, "Mrs. Patterson," BBC Sunday Night Theatre, BBC, 1956.

Queen, "Heart of Darkness," Playhouse 90, CBS, 1958.

Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium (also known as Sunday Night at the London Palladium), 1960, 1962.

"The Wingless Victory," Play of the Week, syndicated, 1961.

Sally Carrington, "Member of the Family," The Sunday–Night Play, 1962.

Guest panelist, Pantomime Quiz (also known as Mike Stokey's Pantomime Quiz and Stump the Stars), 1963.

Angel, "The Loser," I Spy, NBC, 1965.

Honoria De Witt, "Who Killed the Rest?" Burke's Law (also known as Amos Burke, Secret Agent), 1965.

Danielle Taylor, "A Horse Named Stravinsky," Ben Casey, 1965.

Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (also known as Not So Much a Programme ... ), 1965.

Blackpool Night Out, 1965.

Tina Mara, "The Traitor," Mission: Impossible, CBS, 1967.

Second Catwoman, "Catwoman's Dressed to Kill," Batman, ABC, 1967.

Second Catwoman, "The Funny Feline Felonies," Batman, ABC, 1967.

Second Catwoman, "The Joke's on Catwoman," Batman, ABC, 1968.

The Pat Boone Show, 1968.

The Barbara McNair Show, 1970.

Frost on Sunday, 1970.

Russell Harty Plus, 1972.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1972, 1973.

Carrie Blaine, "A Pocketful of Posies," The Protectors, 1974.

Amelia, "Tigress," Police Woman, 1978.

Narrator, "Is This a House for a Hermit Crab?" Reading Rainbow, PBS, 1983.

Musikladen, 1983.

Priestess Chata, "Whatever Works," Miami Vice, NBC, 1985.

Entre amigos, 1986.

(In archive footage) Que noche la de aquel ano, 1987.

"Adventures in the Skin Trade," Forty Minutes, 1990.

Guest host, It's Showtime at the Apollo (also known as Showtime at the Apollo), 1992.

Isabel Lang, Jack's Place, ABC, c. 1992.

Sister Rowena, "Moths to a Flame," Matrix, USA Network, 1993.

(In archive footage) Victor Borges Tivoli 150 aar, 1993.

"Batmantis," Space Ghost Coast to Coast (also known as SGC2C), Cartoon Network, 1994.

Voice of Mrs. Franklin, "Going Batty," The Magic School Bus (also known as Scholastic's "The Magic School Bus"), PBS, 1995.

Mrs. Stubbs, "Student Affairs," New York Undercover (also known as Uptown Undercover), Fox, 1995.

Jacqueline Richards, "He Works Hard for the Money," Living Single (also known as My Girls), Fox, 1996.

Herself, "Pup in Paris," The Nanny, 1996.

(Uncredited) Voice, "The Tart with Heart," The Nanny, 1996.

"Eartha Kitt," Lauren Hutton and ..., 1996.

The Pat Bullard Show, syndicated, 1996.

The RuPaul Show, VH1, 1996.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1997, 2000.

Voice of first lioness, "Flood Warning," The Wild Thorn-berrys (animated), Nickelodeon, 1998.

The Roseanne Show, syndicated, 1998.

Albertine Whethers, "Field of Dweebs," The Famous Jett Jackson, The Disney Channel, 1999.

"Superheroes," VH–1 Where Are They Now?, VH1, 1999.

Voice of Snow Queen, "The Snow Queen," Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (animated), HBO, 2000.

June, "Jim Gets an Apartment," Welcome to New York, CBS, 2000.

June, "The Car," Welcome to New York, CBS, 2000.

(Uncredited) Herself, "Medium Rare," Oz, HBO, 2001.

Voice of Queen Vexas, "Hostile Makeover," My Life as a Teenage Robot (animated), Nickelodeon, 2003.

Larry King Live, Cable News Network, 2005.

(In archive footage) "Las Vegas: An Unconventional History, Part 1," The American Experience, PBS, 2005.

Voice of fortune teller, "Dope and Faith," American Dad! (animated), Fox, 2007.

Loose Women, ITV, 2007.

Breakfast, BBC, 2008.

Also appeared in episodes of The Charles Grodin Show and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 27th Annual NAACP Image Awards (also known as the NAACP Image Awards), Fox, 1996.

The 54th Annual Tony Awards, CBS and PBS, 2000.

Presenter, The 2nd Annual TV Land Awards (also known as TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV), TV Land and Nickelodeon, 2004.

Television Appearances; Other:

Drei Manner spinnen, 1962.

The Other Americans, 1969.

A Night on the Town, 1983.

Desperately Seeking Roger, 1991.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt, 1953.

That Bad Eartha, RCA, 1953.

(With others) To Wish You a Merry Christmas, RCA Victor, 1954.

Down to Eartha, 1955.

Thursday's Child, RCA Victor, 1956.

Eartha Kitt, Singer, 1956.

(With others) St. Louis Blues, RCA Victor, 1958.

The Fabulous Eartha Kitt, 1959.

Eartha Kitt Revisited, 1960.

Bad but Beautiful, 1962.

Eartha Kitt in Person at the Plaza (also known as At the Plaza), 1965.

The Best of Eartha Kitt, MCA, 1975.

At Her Best, 1982.

The Best of Eartha Kitt, 1983.

I Love Men, Sunnyviews, 1984.

Swing, 1986.

My Way: A Musical Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1987.

I'm a Funny Dame (also known as A Funny Dame), 1988.

Eartha Kitt in Person at the Plaza, 1988.

Diamond Series (compilation), 1988.

I'm Still Here, 1989.

Greatest Hits, Laserlight, 1989.

Live in London, 1990.

Songs, RCA, 1990.

The Best of Eartha Kitt (compilation), MCA, 1990.

Thinking Jazz, ITM, 1991.

Primitive Man, 1992.

Eartha Kitt/Doc Cheatham/Bill Coleman with George Duvivier & Co., DRG, 1992.

"Miss Kitt" to You, RCA, 1992.

Where Is My Man (Special Remix), Unidisc, 1993.

Eartha Quake, Bear, 1994.

I Don't Care, Magnum, 1994.

Back in Business, DRG, 1994.

Standards: Live, 1995.

Eartha in New York, ITM, 1995.

The Best of Eartha Kitt: Where Is My Man?, Hot Productions, 1995.

Sentimental Eartha, See for Miles Records, 1995.

That Seductive Eartha, 1996.

My Way: Musical Tribute to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Basic, 1996.

My Heart Belongs to Daddy, Camden, 1998.

My Greatest Songs, BMG International, 1998.

The Best of Eartha Kitt, MCA International, 1999.

Purr–fect: Greatest Hits, 7–N Music, 1999.

Purr–fect: The Eartha Kitt Collection, Spectrum, 2000.

Excellent and Decadent, Polygram International, 2001.

Heavenly Eartha, RCA Bluebird, 2002.

That Bad Eartha/Down to Eartha, Collectibles, 2002.

God Bless the Child, Neon, 2002.

Night & Day, Mastersong, 2002.

Platinum and Gold Collection, BMG Heritage, 2003.

I Love Men, Solo, 2004.

In Person at the Plaza, Brentwood, 2004.

18 Sizzling Tracks, Kala, 2004.

I Want to Be Evil, Mastersong, 2004.

Shinbone Alley Broadway Cast, Legend, 2004.

She's So Good: The Best of Eartha Kitt, BMG, 2005.

Live from the Cafe Carlyle, DRG, 2006.

Thinking Jazz, West Wind, 2006.

The Very Best of Eartha Kitt, Mastersong, 2006.

You Can Call Me Miss Kitty, Golden Stars, 2006.

Mastercuts, Maa, 2007.

Eartha Kitt, Fast Forward, 2007.

Other albums include Black Pioneers in American History, Volume 1: 19th Century, Caedmon; Folk Tales for Children: Africa, Caedmon; Love for Sale, Capitol; Mrs. Patterson (original cast recording), RCA Victor; NewFaces of 1952 (original cast recording), RCA Victor; The Romantic Eartha Kitt, Capitol; and Young Brer Rabbit, Stemmer House; performed with others in The Fifties Collection, Hi Energy, Hipsters' Holiday, Home for Christmas, Lounging at the Nick at Niteclub, and the sound track for Mixed Nuts. Singles include "Where Is My Man," Warlock, 1991; also recorded "C'est Si Bon, "Polydor, and "Santa Baby." Several of Kitt's singles have been featured in films.

Videos:

Herself, Eartha Kitt: The Most Exciting Woman in the World, Kubicek and Associates, 1994.

Voice of Bagheera, The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story (animated), 1998.

Voice of Yzma, Emperor's New Groove (video game), 2001.

Host, The Many Faces of Catwoman, Warner Home Video, 2005.

Freya, Behind the Director's Son's Cut, Twentieth Century–Fox Home Entertainment, 2007.

Audio Books:

Folk Tales of the Tribes of Africa, Caedmon, 1968.

Black Pioneers in American History: Nineteenth Century, Caedmon, 1968.

Young Brer Rabbit: And Other Trickster Tales of the Americas, Stemmer House Publishers, 1987.

Young Brer Rabbit, Stemmer House Publishers, 1991.

Shells of North American Shores: East Coast Seashells from Canada to the Florida Keys, by Katherine Shelley Orr, Stemmer House Publishers, 1991.

Voice of Kaa, The Jungle Book, BBC, 1996.

WRITINGS

Memoirs:

Thursday's Child, Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1956.

Alone with Me: A New Autobiography, Henry Regnery, 1976.

I'm Still Here, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989, published as Confessions of a Sex Kitten, Barricade Books, 1991.

Other:

Young Brer Rabbit (juvenile), Stemmer House Publishers, 1987.

(With Tonya Bolden) Rejuvenate! (It's Never Too Late), Scribner, 2001.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Contemporary Authors, Volumes 77–80, Gale, 1979.

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 16, Gale, 1997.

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 9, Gale, 1993.

Kitt, Eartha, Alone with Me: A New Autobiography, Henry Regnery, 1976.

Kitt, Eartha, I'm Still Here, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989, published as Confessions of a Sex Kitten, Barricade Books, 1991.

Kitt, Eartha, Thursday's Child, Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1956.

Notable Black American Women, Book 1, Gale, 1992.

Periodicals:

Ebony, October, 1993, pp. 112–114.

Entertainment Weekly, March 25, 1994, p. 61.

Essence, January, 1993, pp. 56–58.

Forbes, December 2, 1996, pp. 270–271.

Independent, October 3, 1992, p. 6.

Jet, May 27, 1996, pp. 54–55; January 29, 2007, p. 54.

Library Journal, June 15, 1997, p. 110.

New York Times Magazine, March 9, 1997, p. 66.

People Weekly, January 30, 1995, pp. 6–8; November 4, 1996, p. 51; December 23, 1996, p. 30; July 21,1997, p. 106; October 25, 1999, p. 131.

Starlog Yearbook, 1993, p. 74.

Electronic:

Eartha Kitt Official Site, http://www.earthakitt.com, September 16, 2008.

Other:

Eartha Kitt Interview (taped interview), 1957.

Eartha Kitt, Struggle for Stardom (radio special), National Public Radio, 1980.

All by Myself (documentary film), 1982.