Kitt, Eartha (1927-2008), was an American singer and actress known for her seductive, purring voice. Kitt achieved her greatest popularity as a nightclub performer. But she also appeared on the stage, on television, and in motion pictures; and she made many recordings, including the hits “C’est Si Bon” and “Santa Baby” (both 1953).
Eartha Mae Kitt was born on Jan. 17, 1927, in North, South Carolina. Her family settled in the Harlem section of New York City when Kitt was 8 years old, and she attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. She was a solo dancer with the famous Katherine Dunham Dance Group in 1948 and turned to nightclub singing in 1949. She performed in Egypt, France, Greece, and Turkey as well as in top nightclubs and cabarets in New York City, Las Vegas, and Hollywood.
Kitt earned critical praise for her appearance in the Broadway revue New Faces of 1952. She made her motion-picture debut in the film version of the revue in 1954. In 1967, Kitt played Catwoman on the television series “Batman.” She starred on Broadway in Timbuktu (1978), an all-black version of the popular musical Kismet. In the mid-1990’s, Kitt toured in a one-woman show based on the life of jazz singer Billie Holiday called Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.
Kitt’s other films include St. Louis Blues (1958), Anna Lucasta (1959), Friday Foster (1975), Boomerang (1992), and Harriet the Spy (1996). Kitt wrote three volumes of memoirs: Thursday’s Child (1956), A Tart Is Not a Sweet, Alone with Me (1976), and I’m Still Here: Memoirs of a Sex Kitten (1992). She died on Dec. 25, 2008.
