Born: 29 March 1918, United States
Died: 17 August 1990
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
1918 March 29 Born in Newport News, Virginia, to Reverend Joseph James Bailey and Ella May Ricks Bailey
circa 1933 Entered and won first her amateur night contest at the Pearl Theatre in Philadelphia
1946 Made Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman
1947-1948 Appeared in movies Variety Girl and Isn’t It Romantic?
1948 August 31 Married Army Air Force Captain John Randolph Pinkett (1914 April 3-1966 June 13) in Clark, Nevada (divorced 1952 April 3)
1950 February 2-May 27 Appeared on Broadway in Arms and the Girl
1950 December 13-1951 February 24 Appeared on Broadway in Bless You All
1952 November 19 Married drummer Louie Bellson (1924 July 6-2009 February 14) in London
1954 December 30 Opened in the Harold Arlen/Truman Capote musical House of Flowers
1955 July Adopted son Anthony Paul “Tony” Bellson (1954 February 20-2005 May 27)
1955-1959 Appeared in movies Carmen Jones, That Certain Feeling, St. Louis Blues, and Porgy and Bess
1960 Adopted daughter Dee Dee Jean Bellson (1960 April 20-2009 July 4)
Appeared in the film All the Fine Young Cannibals
1967 November 12-1969 December 20 Played Dolly Gallagher Levi in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly!
1968 Received Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Performance with Cab Calloway for their work in Hello, Dolly!
Received special Tony Award for Hello, Dolly!
1968-1976 Wrote Raw Pearl; Talking To Myself; Pearl’s Kitchen; Hurry Up, America, and Spit; and the children’s book Duey’s Tale
1970 Appeared in film The Landlord
1971 January-May Hosted the Pearl Bailey Show television program on ABC
1975 November 6-December 21 Played Dolly Gallagher Levi in Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!
1975-1976 Served as member of U.S. United Nations delegation; appointed by President Gerald Ford
1976 Appeared in film Norman…Is That You?
Received the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award
1977 May 12 Awarded honorary degree by Georgetown University
1978 January-1985 May Attended Georgetown University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology
1983-1989 Awarded honorary degrees by Arizona State University, Howard University, Seton Hall University, Syracuse University, Thomas A. Edison State College, and the University of South Carolina
1987-1989 Served as member of U.S. United Nations delegation; appointed by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush
1988 Received Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Reagan
1988 August USO tour to the Middle East, including on the USS Carl Vinson
1989 Wrote Between You and Me
1990 August 17 Died in Philadelphia