Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith on January 17, 1927), is an American actress, singer, and cabaret star. She is best known for her role as Catwoman in the 1960s TV series Batman, and for her sexy 1953 Christmas song "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her "the most exciting woman in the world." Kitt's mother was Black Indian with Cherokee ancestry, and her father (who is believed to have been the son of the estate owner) was European-American, She was born out of wedlock in tiny North, South Carolina. Her unique style was enhanced as she became fluent in French during her years performing in Europe. She dabbled in other languages as well, which she demonstrates with finesse in many of the live recordings of her cabaret performances. Kitt got her start as a member of the Katherine Dunham Company and made her film debut with them in Casbah (1948). In 1950, Orson Welles gave her her first starring role: as Helen of Troy in his staging of Dr. Faustus. A few years later, she was cast in the revue New Faces of 1952 introducing "Monotonous", "C'est Si Bon" and "Santa Baby", three songs with which she continues to be identified with. In 1968, Kitt encountered a substantial professional setback after she made anti-war statements during a White House luncheon that reportedly made First Lady Lady Bird Johnson cry uncontrollably. Professionally exiled from the U.S., she devoted her energies to overseas performances. During that time cultural references to her grew, including outside the United States, such as the well-known Monty Python sketch ("the cycling tour") where an amnesiac believes he is first Clodagh Rogers, then Trotsky and finally Eartha Kitt (while performing to an enthusiastic crowd in Moscow). She returned to New York in a triumphant turn in the Broadway spectacle Timbuktu! (a version of the perennial Kismet set in Africa) in 1978. In 1984, she returned to hit music with a disco song, Where Is My Man (UK # 34); the first certified Gold record of her career. Kitt found new audiences in nightclubs across the country, including a whole new generation of gay male fans. Kitt frequently gives benefit performances in support of HIV/AIDS organizations. She celebrates her 80th birthday this year by being booked for concerts all over America. Undoubtedly, she is one of this nation's "living legends". Find out more about her at: www.earthakitt.com


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