Eartha Kitt
Distinctive Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, dancer, and activist. Beginning in 1942, Kitt's
career
spanned decades on Broadway, nightclubs, and film. You might have heard her flirtatiously croon "C'est si bon"
or "Santa
Baby."
Fans of the 1960s Batman TV show have spied her playing Catwoman. Kitt starred in the 1958 biopic St. Louis
Blues
with Nat King Cole. She was also quite memorable in Boomerang.
As an activist, Kitt was outspoken about civil rights and the Vietnam War. She was blacklisted for the latter in
the United States. For ten years, she performed only in Europe. In 1978, she triumphantly returned to Broadway
in
the play "Timbuktu!"
The play brought her to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In the play she makes a grand entrance and
regally announces, "I'm here."
At one time, Kitt was banished at a White House luncheon. A decade later, President Jimmy Carter welcomed her
back to the White House.