---
name: "Pearl Bailey"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/pearl-bailey"
fi1m_id: "pearl-bailey"
imdb_id: "nm0047440"
tmdb_id: 20157
wikidata_id: "Q462118"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "29 March 1918"
died: "17 August 1990"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-25T06:51:57.511697+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Pearl Bailey

## Identity

Pearl Bailey

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/pearl-bailey
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** pearl-bailey
- **IMDb ID:** nm0047440
- **TMDB ID:** 20157
- **Wikidata ID:** Q462118
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Bailey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q462118, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0047440/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/20157

Actor. Born 29 March 1918 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. Died 17 August 1990.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 29 March 1918, Newport News, Virginia, USA
- **Died:** 17 August 1990
- **Also known as:** Pearl Mae Bailey
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Bailey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q462118, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0047440/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/20157

## Biography

Pearl Bailey was an American actress and singer. She made her film debut as Frankie in the 1954 musical *Carmen Jones*.

Bailey began her career in vaudeville and appeared on Broadway in *St. Louis Woman* (1946). She starred as Dolly Levi in the all-Black production of *Hello, Dolly!* (1967), for which she received a Special Tony Award. Her other film roles include Maria in *Porgy and Bess* (1959) and Marge in *The Landlord* (1970); she also voiced Big Mama in the animated film *The Fox and the Hound* (1981).

She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988. Bailey died in Philadelphia on 17 August 1990.

*Sources: imdb.com, britannica.com, en.wikipedia.org, blackpast.org.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Carmen Jones* (1954), Fi1m 65, as Frankie — [page](https://film.one/film/carmen-jones.md)

## Complete filmography (19)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Satan Claus* (2010), as Animal
- *The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s* (2002), Actor
- *Peter Gunn* (1989), as Mother
- *Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale* (1985), as Martha Dermody
- *The Member of the Wedding* (1982), as Bernice Sadie Brown
- *Silver Spoons* (1982), series, as Lulu Baker
- *The Fox and the Hound* (1981), as Big Mama (voice)
- *The Love Boat* (1977), series, as Millie Washington
- *Norman... Is That You?* (1976), as Beatrice Chambers
- *Tubby the Tuba* (1975), as Mrs. Elephant (voice)
- *The Landlord* (1970), as Marge
- *All the Fine Young Cannibals* (1960), as Ruby
- *Porgy and Bess* (1959), as Maria
- *St. Louis Blues* (1958), as Aunt Hagar
- *That Certain Feeling* (1956), as Gussie
- *Carmen Jones* (1954), as Frankie — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/carmen-jones.md)
- *Your Show of Shows* (1950), series, Actor
- *Isn't It Romantic?* (1948), as Addie
- *Variety Girl* (1947), as Pearl Bailey

## Gallery

- ![Pearl Bailey](https://film.one/media/person/3872748/gallery-d0ebbb9a2db5.jpg) Pearl Bailey — William Morris Agency, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Pearl_Bailey_-_publicity.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![photograph of Pearl Bailey following a performance of "It's A Woman's Prerogative" in the 1946 stage production of "St. Louis Woman"](https://film.one/media/person/3872748/gallery-0164381a4aee.jpg) photograph of Pearl Bailey following a performance of "It's A Woman's Prerogative" in the 1946 stage production of "St. Louis Woman" — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/PearlBailey-takes-a-call.jpg/1280px-PearlBailey-takes-a-call.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Pearl Bailey](https://film.one/media/person/3872748/gallery-41ecb642e22d.jpg) Pearl Bailey — Image via TMDB
- ![Pearl Bailey](https://film.one/media/person/3872748/gallery-fd821b8bf243.jpg) Pearl Bailey — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Other awards — 2 won

- Presidential Medal of Freedom 1988: Presidential Medal of Freedom (won)
- Coretta Scott King Award 1976: Coretta Scott King Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/pearl-bailey