Halle Berry Pays Tribute to the 'Legendary' Dorothy Dandridge on Her 100th Birthday

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Halle Berry is celebrating Dorothy Dandridge's 100th birthday.

Berry shared a tweet that included a side-by-side of a young Dandridge and herself when she portrayed the trailblazing actress in the '90s.

"23 years ago I was privileged to bring the life of Dorothy Dandridge to the screen," the actress wrote in the tweet. "100 years ago today this legendary magical creature was born! Happy birthday Dottie"

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In 1999, the now-56-year-old actress played Dandridge, who died in 1965 at age 42, in the made-for-TV historical drama Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Motion Picture.

According to a synopsis on the Golden Globes' website, the biopic follows the trailblazing actress's career "through early days on the club circuit with her sister to her turn in movies" to "her final demise to prescription drugs, which was debated whether it was suicide or accidental."

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Dandridge was the first Black actress to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. She was nominated in 1954 for her role Carmen Jones, a musical film in which she starred opposite Harry Belafonte. The Broadway adaptation, which featured an all-Black cast, was also nominated for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

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Berry's portrayal of the icon came full circle in 2001 when she became the first Black woman to win a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Monster's Ball, nearly five decades after Dandridge received her nomination.

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge is available to stream on HBO Max.