Introducing Dorothy Dandridge is a 1999 American biographical drama television film directed by Martha Coolidge and written by Shonda Rhimes and Scott Abbott, based on the 1991 biography Dorothy Dandridge by Earl Mills. Filmed over a span of a few weeks in late 1998, the film stars Halle Berry as actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge and premiered on HBO on August 21, 1999. The original music score was composed by Elmer Bernstein, who had known Dandridge and Otto Preminger.

Cast

  • Halle Berry as Dorothy Dandridge
  • Wendi Williams provides the singing voice for Dorothy Dandridge
  • Brent Spiner as Earl Mills
  • Klaus Maria Brandauer as Otto Preminger
  • Obba Babatundé as Harold Nicholas
  • Loretta Devine as Ruby Dandridge
  • Cynda Williams as Vivian Dandridge
  • LaTanya Richardson as Auntie
  • Tamara Taylor as Geri Branton-Nicholas
  • William Atherton as Darryl Zanuck
  • D. B. Sweeney as Jack Denison
  • Don Gettinger as Hotel Clerk
  • Nicholas Hormann as Oscar Emcee
  • Sharon Brown as Etta Jones
  • Darrian C Ford as Fayard Nicholas
  • Andre Carthen as Harry Belafonte
  • Jon Mack as Ava Gardner
  • Kerri Randles as Marilyn Monroe
  • Benjamin Brown as Sidney Poitier
  • Tyrone Wade as Lex Barker

Production

Filming began on 29 September 1998.

Soundtrack

RCA Victor released a soundtrack album on August 10, 1999.

  1. "Your Red Wagon" – Wendi Williams (2:29)
  2. "I Got Rhythm" – Wendi Williams (2:44)
  3. "Hep Hop" – Bill Elliott (3:17)
  4. "Chattanooga Choo Choo" – Wendi Williams (2:27)
  5. "Sportsman's Mambo" – Bill Elliott (3:08)
  6. "Somebody" – Wendi Williams (2:33)
  7. "Twelve Cylinders" – Bill Elliott (3:39)
  8. "You Do Something to Me" – Wendi Williams (2:19)
  9. "Zoot Suit for My Sunday Gal" – Wendi Williams (3:28)
  10. "That's All" – Wendi Williams (2:34)
  11. "Streamliner" – Bill Elliott (3:49)
  12. "First Telephone" – Elmer Bernstein (2:05)
  13. "Try Again" – Elmer Bernstein (1:17)
  14. "No Song" – Elmer Bernstein (1:18)
  15. "Dorothy" – Elmer Bernstein (2:04)

Awards and nominations

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

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! Year

! Award

! Category

! Nominee(s)

! Result

! Ref.

|-

| rowspan="49"|

| American Cinema Editors Awards

| Best Edited Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television

| Alan Heim

|

| align="center"|

|-

| American Society of Cinematographers Awards

| Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movie of the Week, Miniseries or Pilot

| Robbie Greenberg

|

| align="center"|

|-

| Art Directors Guild Awards

| Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Miniseries

| James H. Spencer, A. Leslie Thomas, and <br /> Kristen Pratt

|

| align="center"|

|-

| Artios Awards

| Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week

| Aleta Chappelle

|

| align="center"|

|-

| rowspan="4"| Black Reel Awards

| Best Television Miniseries or Movie

| Halle Berry and Joshua D. Maurer

|

| align="center" rowspan="4"|

|-

| Best Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series

| Halle Berry

|

|-

| rowspan="2"| Best Supporting Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

| Obba Babatundé

|

|-

| Brent Jennings

|

|-

| Columbus International Film & Animation Festival

| colspan="2"| Bronze Plaque Award (Entertainment)

|

| align="center"|

|-

| Directors Guild of America Awards

| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries

| Martha Coolidge

|

| align="center"|

|-

| rowspan="3"| Golden Globe Awards

| colspan="2"| Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

|

| align="center" rowspan="3"|

|-

| Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

| Halle Berry

|

|-

| Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

| Klaus Maria Brandauer

|

|-

| rowspan="3"| Golden Reel Awards

| Best Sound Editing – Television Movies and Specials – Dialogue & ADR

| David Hankins, Doug Kent, David Beadle, <br /> Larry Goeb, Helen Luttrell, Erik Aadahl, <br /> Patrick Hogan, David MacMillan, <br /> Larry Stensvold, and Stacey Michaels

|

| align="center" rowspan="3"|

|-

| Best Sound Editing – Television Movies and Specials – Effects & Foley

| David Hankins, Doug Kent, Michael Babcock, <br /> Jeff Sawyer, and Bruce Tanis

|

|-

| Best Sound Editing – Television Movies and Specials (including Mini-Series) – Music

| Kathy Durning and Chris McGeary

|

|-

| rowspan="3"| NAACP Image Awards

| colspan="2"| Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

|

| align="center" rowspan="3"|

|-

| Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

| Obba Babatundé

|

|-

| Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

| Halle Berry

|

|-

| NAMIC Vision Awards

| colspan="2"| Drama

|

| align="center"|

|-

| rowspan="13"| Online Film & Television Association Awards

| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture Made for Television

|

| align="center" rowspan="13"|

|-

| Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

| Halle Berry

|

|-

| Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

| Klaus Maria Brandauer

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Limited Series

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Limited Series

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best New Theme Song in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Best New Titles Sequence in a Motion Picture or Miniseries

|

|-

| rowspan="11"| Primetime Emmy Awards

| Outstanding Made for Television Movie

| Moctezuma Esparza, Robert Katz, <br /> Joshua D. Maurer, Halle Berry, <br /> Vincent Cirrincione, and Larry Y. Albucher

|

| align="center" rowspan="11"|

|-

| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie

| Halle Berry

|

|-

| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie

| Klaus Maria Brandauer

|

|-

| Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special

| Martha Coolidge

|

|-

| Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special

| James H. Spencer, Robert Greenfield, and <br /> A. Leslie Thomas

|

|-

| Outstanding Choreography

| Kim Blank

|

|-

| Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special

| Robbie Greenberg

|

|-

| Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special

| Shelley Komarov and Lucinda Campbell

|

|-

| Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special

| Hazel Catmull, Kathrine Gordon, <br /> Katherine Rees, Jennifer Bell, and <br /> Virginia Kearns

|

|-

| Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special

| Alan Heim

|

|-

| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special

| David Hankins, Doug Kent, Bruce Tanis, <br /> Frank Smathers, Michael Babcock, <br /> Jeff Sawyer, David Beadle, Helen Luttrell, <br /> Sonya Henry, Larry Goeb, Kathy Durning, <br /> Chris McGeary, Dale W. Perry, and <br /> Michael Broomberg

|

|-

| Prism Awards

| colspan="2"| TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special

|

| align="center"|

|-

| rowspan="3"| Satellite Awards

| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture Made for Television

|

| align="center" rowspan="3"|

|-

| Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television

| Brent Spiner

|

|-

| Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television

| rowspan="2"| Halle Berry

|

|-

| Screen Actors Guild Awards

| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie

|

| align="center"|

|}

References