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Biography
Born to Carrie McDonald, a laundress, and Eddie Carson, a musician,
Josephine's early life hinted at her future career. She first
danced for the public on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and
dimes. Later, she became a chorus girl on the St. Louis stage. At
15, she married a Pullman porter named Baker, but left him when she
ran away from St. Louis at age 17, feeling there was too much
racial discrimination in the city. Her first job in Paris was in La
revue negre. Her next significant job was at the Folies bergere,
where she was a member of their all-black revue. It was at the
Folies bergere, in 1925, that she first performed her famous banana
dance. She quickly became a favorite of the French, and her fame
grew. She had many ups and downs during her career. Although
popular in France, during the McCarthy era she was told that she
was no longer welcome in the United States. In 1937 she renounced
her American citizenship and became a citizen of France. In 1961,
she was awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor. In the
late 1960's, she began having financial difficulties, and stopped
performing in 1968. Princess Grace offered her a home in Monaco
when she learned of Josephine's financial problems. At the request
of Princess Grace, she performed at Monaco's summer ball in 1974,
and was a great success. That same year, she staged a week of
performances in New York and called the show 'An Evening with
Josephine Baker.' She had just begun a Paris revue celebrating her
half-century on the stage, when on April 10 she was stricken and
went into a coma. She died without regaining consciousness. Her
funeral was held in Paris, and she was buried in Monaco.
Biography courtesy of the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).
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Josephine Baker
