View for person of id: 87368
Dona Drake
Born: 15th Nov 1914 Miami, Florida, USA - Died 20th Jun 1989
Dept: Acting
Dona Drake (born Eunice Westmoreland on November 15, 1914) was an African-American singer, dancer, and film actress active in the 1930s and 1940s. Despite her heritage, she often identified as Mexican or of Latin descent to navigate Hollywood’s racial landscape. Over her career, she was frequently cast in ethnic roles, portraying Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and European characters.
She performed under various stage names, including Una Novella, Rita Novella, and Rita Rio. In the early 1940s, she led an all-girl orchestra and gained recognition for her musical and dance performances. She appeared in films such as Kansas City Confidential (1952), Louisiana Purchase (1941), and Road to Morocco (1942). Despite her talents, she remained a supporting actress rather than a leading star.
Dona Drake passed away on June 20, 1989, due to pneumonia and respiratory failure. Her ashes were scattered at sea near Point Fermin in California.
[ToDo] Show list of extra photos here.
Film and Tv Credits
Total number of credits listed: 31
Film: 29 (94%)
Television: 2 (6%)
Remaining genres not in graph: Thriller, War
Filmography
1954
Shalimar, an Egyptian princess, striving to rid her country of its Bedouin conquerors, forms an alliance with Prince Haidi, son of the Caliph of Bagda ... view
Character:
Mirva
Sep 1953 (first aired)
Crime drama starring Rod Cameron as 43-year-old Bart Grant, a tough 1950s New York City police lieutenant. ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Character:
Narita
1953
The son of the notorious female bandit Belle Starr wants to live an honest life, but finds himself getting drawn into his mother's old profession. ... view
Character:
Dolores
1953
Siamese twins separated at birth retain a psychic link; each feels the other's pain and happiness. ... view
Character:
Zelda
1952
An ex-convict sets out to uncover who framed him for an armored car robbery. ... view
Character:
Teresa
Sep 1952 (first aired)
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a syndicated TV adaptation of the beloved DC Comics superhero! You know the drill: When he isn't fighting for truth, j ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
1951
Italian immigrant Rudolph Valentino makes it big in silent Hollywood, but he ends up struggling between his career and the woman he loves. ... view
Character:
Maria Torres
1950
When he unwittingly sends some of his men into a trap, pirate Captain Peter Blood decides to rescue them. They've been taken prisoner by the Spanish M ... view
Character:
Pepita
1949
Rosa, the self-serving wife of a small-town doctor, gets a better offer when a wealthy big-city man insists she get a divorce and marry him instead. S ... view
Character:
Jenny
1949
Glamour artist Bob Randolph is world famous for his paintings of a stunning beauty dubbed "The Randolph Girl". What the world doesn't know is that his ... view
Character:
Connie Martin
1949
When the Daltons are killed at Coffeyville, gang member Bill Doolin, arriving late, escapes but kills a man. Now wanted for murder, he becomes the lea ... view
Character:
Cattle Annie
1948
A small town man inherits a significant fortune and takes his family to New York City whereupon they are continually shocked at the alien culture of t ... view
Character:
Kate Goff
1948
This 'prequel' to The Little Foxes tells how the ruthless members of the old-South Hubbard family got that way. ... view
Character:
Laurette Sincee
1946
Eight strangers meet in Shanghai to stake claims to the fortune of a late shipping magnate, then must evade a murderer in their midst. ... view
Character:
Elena Valdez
1946
Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train, she encounters Marines Rusty and Dink, who don't ... view
Character:
Dolores Ortega
1945
A girl is desperate to get to Washington D.C. to be with her lonesome brother, a wounded G.I. She persuades Bing Crosby to let her join his caravan. ... view
Character:
Dona Drake
1944
Jimmy O'Brien (Robert Lowery)and Sammy Rubin (Sidney Miller), write jingle commercials for radio, and meet Mary Adams (Dona Drake), who wants to break ... view
Character:
Mary Adams
1943
A soldier stationed on an army base and his fiancé, who runs a women's "fat farm" nearby, want to get married but don't have enough money. Three cust ... view
Character:
Muriel
1943
Press agent Jimmy Gates gets an idea while watching a New York parade, for a returned war hero Sergeant Buzz McAllister, with his chief client, singer ... view
Character:
1942
Two carefree castaways on a desert shore find an Arabian Nights city, where they compete for the luscious Princess Shalmar. ... view
Character:
Mihirmah
1942
Pop, a security guard at Paramount has told his son that he's the head of the studio. When his son arrives in Hollywood on shore leave with his buddie ... view
Character:
Dona Drake
1941
A bumbling senator investigating graft in Louisiana is the target of a scheme involving a Viennese beauty. ... view
Character:
Beatrice
1941
A young South Seas native boy is sent to the U.S. for his education and returns to his island after his father dies to try to stop a revolution. ... view
Character:
Nea
1941
Alan Ladd was discovered by Sue Carol for his incredible voice in radio. And then she married him. In I Look At You, he is sweet and graceful. And at ... view
Character:
Herself
Character:
Rita Rio
1939
Her doctor thinks Rita Rio is crazy for loving music too much, but she proves him wrong by becoming a successful bandleader. ... view
Character:
Rita Rio
1938
Dona Drake (as Rita Rio) and her all-girl band work in a ritzy setting, and perform some hot melodies, with Rita singing and dancing. Several feature ... view
Character:
Rita Rio
1936
Meek Eddie Pink becomes manager of an amusement park beset by mobsters. ... view
Character:
Mademoiselle Fifi