Happy Birthday to American-French actress, singer, dancer and French Resistance operative JOSEPHINE BAKER (1906-1975).
She was born on June 3
“I ran away from home. I ran away from St. Louis, and then I ran away from the United States of America, because of that terror of discrimination, that horrible beast which paralyzes one’s very soul and body.”
Baker was born in St. Louis and established a career as a singer and dancer, but she moved to France because of U.S. racial discrimination and her refusal to perform for segregated audiences. Baker was a HUGE star in France, performing with the Follies Bergere and starring in several films. She took part in the American Civil Rights movement and eventually adopted children from France, Finland, Venezuela, the Ivory Coast, Algeria, Morocco, Korea and Israel. She referred to them as her “Rainbow Tribe.”
To celebrate this extraordinary talent, enjoy this clip from her 1935 film Princess Tam Tam.
She was also instrumental in the French resistance