Popular leading man in 1940's Hollywood who, with his suave demeanor, exotically handsome looks and well-modulated voice, was first called upon to portray mysterious or villainous characters. Soon he would be teamed with other "exotics" (e.g. Maria Montez and Sabu) in a series of escapist adventures, filmed in glorious Technicolor and set in lands of fable, which proved most popular with movie audiences of the World War II years. But with the end of the war, his career (like that of Montez) would decline. He ultimately returned to his city of birth to pursue opportunities in commercial photography.
生于俄亥俄州克利夫兰。四岁开始演出，后来成为广播节目和电视系列剧《以色列》的固定演员，并深受观众喜爱。她第一次上银幕是在马克斯兄弟的经典片《竞赛的一天》中。五十年代后期，她主演了《卡曼．琼斯》和《波吉和贝斯》，大获成功；在黑人演员中第一个获得美国电影明星的称号，并且以在《卡曼·琼斯》中的优秀演技获得第二十七届奥斯卡最佳女主角金像奖的提名。1965年9月8日自杀身亡，年仅43岁。
