Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? No one but a cruel, heartless, evil , hot mess of a poor excuse for a human being would throw it in a persons face!!! Kitts mother, Annie Mae Keitt, abandoned her daughter at an early age when she found a new man with little time for the light-skinned Eartha. Father: Daniel Sturkie (white sharecropper) Mother: Annie Mae Keitt Sister: Pearl (half sister) She had always put 26 January 1926 on her passport, but actually she was born on 17 January 1927., To some extent, I think my arrival completed her because it gave her a family that she never had.. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. It's thought her white father was instead Daniel Sturkie. Being a woman of color, I am always questioned about my nationality. Eartha's mother, Annie . 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Try again later. This browser does not support getting your location. Along comes a salesman who can put stars on the ones that have none, and then the original star-bellied Sneetches want their stars removed so they can justify their nastiness. After my 15 years after my mother died, one of my sisters started to investigate by submittedher own DNA to ancestry.com and she eventually pieced together through family trees who my mothers father was. She also appeared in a handful of television shows from an Emmy-nominated performance in I Spy (NBC, 1965-68) to Mission Impossible (CBS, 1966-1973) before getting a role that defined her career for years to come. You either break every rule or fill every quota, depending on where you are. My mother despised societys need to neatly categorize everything. XXKitt. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Join me as I share my mothers legacy of love, kindness and empowerment. Truth was just expressing an opinion and I can understand that hurts and you feel it is wrong, but its just an opinion and I do think that we shouldnt shun people if they have an opinion that is contrary to ours. There are many African Americans who were able to pass for Caucasians back in the day. Her second role was in the original production of the musical The Wild Party, which took place in the year 2000. In the photo, a very young Kitt was seen wearing a blue and white dress and a white headband while playing next to John, who wore black pants and matching shirt. My point is mixed race children show up in a diverse number of ways. And, I have the gift of the love she gave me and the example she set on how to live a life to its fullest with. Anyway other people often considered the four of us to belong to different races. She was a skilled singer with a distinctive voice, and she recorded the hits Lets Do It, Champagne Taste, Cest si Bon (which Stan Freberg famously burlesqued), Just an Old Fashioned Girl, Monotonous, Je Cherche un Homme, Love for Sale, Id Rather Be Burned as a Witch, Katibim (a Turkish melody), Mink, Schmink, Un During her time spent playing throughout Europe, Kitt became fluent in French, which contributed to the development of her own distinctive style. If you would like to view her most recent Instagram pics, click on the link above. AND in different photos her skin color can look darker or lighter. And even in a situation where it was all true??? Eartha was reared by an aunt named Aunt Rosa, whose home she was abused when her mother, Annie Mae Keith . There are no volunteers for this cemetery. In 1950 she got her first starring role on stage, playing Helen of Troy in Orson Welles' "Dr. Faustus". You share much of your lovely mother down to her sweet nature. Her father was white - but who was he? It was a female judge who stepped aside while we read the records on her desk. Failed to remove flower. A British journalist named John Williams wrote a biography about her titled "America's Mistress: Eartha Kitt, Her Life and Times" and claimed Kitt's dad was Daniel Sturkie, a local white doctor. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Kitt, you look like a white, blue eyed, blonde haired version of your mom. Beautifully written, eloquently explained! Your love, honor and respect for your mother and her legacy is an example to us all. Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927 - December 25, 2008) was an American actress, singer, cabaret star, dancer, stand-up comedienne, activist and voice artist, kn . Genes are a funny thing and I dont know what the possibilities are. Eartha Kitt is best known for her role as Catwoman in the sixties Batman tv series. })(); Ethnicity of Celebs | EthniCelebs.com 2023. 2017-2023 Tribute Archive. The woman who gave birth to Kitt was of African-American and Cherokee Native-American origin, and she worked as a sharecropper. Entertainer. Kitt gained a new generation of followers as a result of her performances in the Disney films The Emperors New Groove (2000) and Holes (2002), in which she provided her voice for the antagonist Yzma in both films (2003). The above-mentioned URL will take you to her profile. I remember hearing your mother in an interview stating that she was part Native American as well. How to Contact Eartha Kitt: Phone Number, Email Address, Fan Mail Address, and Autograph Request Address, How to Contact Edie McClurg: Phone Number, Email Address, Fan Mail Address, and Autograph Request Address, How to Contact Eden Sher: Phone Number, Email Address, Fan Mail Address, and Autograph Request Address. I saw Black people with light hair colors and blue and hazel eyes. I addressed the insensitive Truth in a previous post; But in doing some further reading on your Moms situation and the shameful way she was treated in the South, I wish Id come on this information earlier. They want to be comvinced as if their negative opinion even matters! Join my email list and receive special offers as well as more stories about my life with my mother, Eartha Kitt. Daniels father was Calvin Richard Sturkie (the son of Richard Benjamin Sturkie and Jerusha Jeffcoat). January seventeenth of each year, the birthday of the late actress, singer, and native South Carolinian Eartha Mae Kitt, is declared to be 'Eartha Kitt Day' in South Carolina." SECTION 3. Hello Kitt. Eartha Kitt has a Facebook account where She publishes her pictures and videos. I have 4 grandkids, they are mixed race. , Kitt Shapiro, . This is not to take away from those who choose to call themselves whatever they choose. In 1987, she replaced fellow American Dolores Gray in the London West End production of Stephen Sondheims Follies, and at the end of that run, she starred in a one-woman show at the same Shaftesbury Theatre. I took a trip to Belize and saw things Id never seen before. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. She could be another Sentor Strong Thurmond case which is why the black-outed the name on the birth certificate. No one ever believed her father was Japanese. In early 2013, D.L. They are blessed with loving and interesting families. Genetics are unpredictable and can sometimes skip a generation or more. The irony is that if you look past hair color and skin color, I actually do look like my mother. One of them showed Kitts firstborn, Jason Shapiro. Eartha stated that she was often made fun of because of her light skin while growing up in the South. Theyre so accustomed to partially black people representing black people that they think all mixed race people look like seal and Heidi Klums children. Your response to her was gracious and probably undeserved. Not much is known about the mother of Eartha Kitt, Annie Mae. As a result of her performance, she was considered for the Tony Award in the category of Best Actress in a Musical. Be well. Her official birth details were established only in 1997, when she challenged a group of students to find the certificate that records her as having been born Eartha Mae Keith in the town of North, South Carolina. You have a lot of your mothers facial features. Sorry! Kitt. It is Wonderful you are celebrating your mothers legacy. Its an insult to suggest that Eartha secretly adopted a white child. I can only imagine some of the wisdom she imparted on you. The right to choose for oneself. Sorry (not sorry) we dont all fit someone elses preconceived stereotypes! Place of Birth: North or St. Matthews, South Carolina, U.S. Place of Death: Weston, Connecticut, U.S. Nearly always, when someone expresses an opinion based on ignorance, the motivation is not what they are really saying, but rather a prejudice of some sort. Indeed, John Williams, the author of a biography called America's Mistress: Eartha Kitt, Her Life and Times, believed Kitt's father was Sturkie, though Shapiro says 'there were a lot of names'. As the story progresses, the groups go in and out of the star on/star off machine until no one is sure who is who anymore and realize after theyve spent all their money trying to acquire a valid reason for being mean, that it was time, energy and money all wasted. Its mind-boggling to me how people will ignore facts to support a belief of theirs. Eartha Kitt, who purred and pounced her way across Broadway stages, recording studios and movie and television screens in a show-business career that lasted more than six decades, died on Thursday. OTH, if you would like located your grandfather on your mothers side.. 23 and me, or maury have a DNA test done and let your moms spirit rest in true peace. Kitt rose to fame after performing in the Broadway musical Leonard Sillmans New Faces of 1952 and after releasing early 1950s records such as Cest Si Bon, Santa Baby, and I Want to Be Evil. Kitt also appeared in the revue Leonard Sillmans New Faces of 1952. It would be interesting to see what her father looked like. You so obviously look like your mom. 67. died Inst, about a month. Eartha Kitt, Her Life and Times, believed Kitt's . Along comes a salesman who can put stars on the ones that have none, and then the original star-bellied. The name she had for her father was William Kitt. I agree with you you look exactly like your motherinside and out. I dont usually respond to negative comments, but I am compelled to do so here because I feel there is an opportunity for dialogue on a subject that many struggle. You may contact her on Fb, which you can find by clicking the link here. What a blessing you will always have. What many commenters fail to realize is the Eartha Kitt was mixed raced. Genetics is a funny thing. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Eartha Kitt was born Eartha Mae Keith in North Southern Carolina on January 17, 1927; a fact she did not know until 1997. Eartha Kitt even has an Instagram account, in which he has over a thousand followers and gets over 100k likes per posting. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. with and is very relevant in todays times. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Kitt was also known for being outspoken, particularly when it came to issues she was passionate about such as the Vietnam War. Daniel was the son of Nicholas Hutto and Susanna Grubbs. 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