Today in our biography series is the illustrious Eartha Kitt – singer, performer, actress, author, legendary Disney villain, and the woman Orson Welles declared the “most exciting woman in the world.”
January 17, 1927, in South Carolina, the world gained perhaps one of the most well-rounded, universally cultured, and intensely fascinating figures history has ever known. Eartha Kitt was born mixed race, her mother of African American and Cherokee Native American descent, on a plantation and spent her early childhood picking cotton. Her mother sent her away to Harlem, NY, to live with her aunt at the age of 8. She never knew the identity of who her father was, though it is very much believed it was the white son of a nearby plantation owner. When Kitt finally tracked down her birth certificate at the age of 71, they covered up the name of her father due to laws about children born to unwed parents. For reference, this was the late 1990s… It was at this time that Eartha finally, at 71, was able to learn her own birth date. The early life and tumultuous, abusive upbringing Eartha Kitt endured is a complicated, long story in itself – this article is a good place to start to gain an understanding of that.
Eartha’s introduction to the world of Entertainment began after winning a place at the High School of Performing Arts. After, her friend dared her to participate in a class at the Katharine Dunham dance company, though she was not a dancer at that time. She won a featured dancer and vocalist position and traveled worldwide with the company. It was in Paris, France where Eartha was booked as a solo act in a nightclub called Le Carroll’s, which was run by a former lover of Marlene Dietrich’s, Frédé Baulé. It was Kitt’s Paris performances that set Orson Welles on his path to hire her as Helen of Troy on stage in 1950, and around this time where the infamous tagline of the “most exciting woman in the world” surfaced.
We’ve all heard the infamous Christmas song “Santa Baby.” Did you know Eartha is the voice you hear in that 1953 classic? This is just one example of how we have all been raised with Eartha Kitt or art influenced by Kitt in our lives.
The 1950s for Eartha were heavily focused on music, producing 9 studio records beginning with her debut in 1953. Additionally, she starred alongside infamous names such as Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr. in her first few projects in the realm of film. This decade of her life also saw a short, but beautiful friendship with James Dean. Eartha is quoted as saying “our souls were mates” about her relationship with Dean. She experienced premonitions shortly before his passing, even bringing it up to him saying “… I can’t feel you, your spirit is gone.”
The 1960s saw Eartha Kitt become a household name, a mother, change the world of pop culture, speak her mind to the First Lady, and consequently – lose every opportunity in the United States until 1974. In 1961, Eartha gave birth to her best friend and daughter, Kitt, whose name was chosen as Eartha’s way of carrying on her name. Eartha loved being a mother and did everything in her power to ensure Kitt grew up a worldly individual with knowledge of how multiple different cultures lived. There are many interviews about these experiences around as well as a book detailing growing up with Eartha.
When Julie Newmar was unable to reprise her role as Catwoman in the 1960s television show, Batman, Eartha, who was known across the world for her stage work, consistent radio play, and films, became the new Catwoman. Her role was only featured in 3 episodes, but the fact that she is most remembered for that particular role spoke volumes about how fully she embodied the character.
January 18th of 1968 was the date that changed the trajectory of Eartha Kitt’s career forever. Lady Bird Johnson, the First Lady of the United States at the time, hosted a “Women Doer” lunch which Eartha had initially declined an invitation to. The theme was “What Citizens Can Do to Ensure Safe Streets.” After listening to all of the attendees focus more on the beautification of areas, Eartha approached the crowd and spoke her exact thoughts when her time to speak approached. Her address can be read here. This was the first direct confrontation of a First Lady in the White House – ever. This event led to a nationwide blacklisting of Eartha Kitt. Show cancelations started coming in within hours. Undeterred, Kitt yet again went international and resumed her career in Europe.
Many younger audiences recognize Kitt for her later work across the 1990s and 2000s. Not only was she in the most iconic of the Ernest films (in my own unprofessional opinion), Ernest Scared Stupid, but she was also the voice of eccentric sorceress, Yzma, in the Disney animated film The Emperor’s New Groove alongside David Spade and Patrick Warburton. She truly transcended time becoming a versatile staple in all forms of entertainment for over half of a century.
Eartha Kitt died with her daughter by her side on Christmas Day in 2008 at the age of 81 due to colon cancer. Her legacy is being preserved today through incredible efforts by her daughter, Kitt Shapiro, who has penned a memoir about life with her mother and gone lengths to bring anyone willing to listen closer to who Eartha really was.
Eartha Kitt Roles You May Recognize:
If you wish to continue learning about Eartha, the following resources are available for you to visit…
Podcasts:
Books:
Articles:
-
Eartha Kitt’s Amazing Journey From Abandoned and Abused to Hollywood Legend
-
Eartha Kitt, LBJ and Lady Bird: A White House Confrontation Over Vietnam
-
C’est Si Bon: Eartha Kitt’s Transformative Life – Vanity Fair
Documentary:
Featured image credit: Popperfoto/Getty Images. Taken in 1962.
Dominique Benedict is the founder and owner of Breakfast At Dominique’s. Her favorite topics include classic everything from movies to music to cars and the 90s film, Dazed and Confused.