Mildred Boyd (1908-1999) was an actress, a singer, and a dancer who was active in Hollywood from the 1920s through the 1950s. Like many Black actresses of her era, she was often cast as a maid or a nurse.

Biography

Boyd was born in

Kingston, Tennessee Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Roane County, Tennessee, United States. This city is thirty-six miles southwest of Knoxville. It had a population of 5,934 at the 2010 United States census, and is included in the Harriman Micropolit ...

, to Creed Boyd and Rachel Finley. The family moved to Nebraska soon after she was born. Boyd relocated to Los Angeles as a young adult, where she found work a chorus girl at Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club, a popular Black nightclub in Culver City. She was part of a group known as the Creole Cuties. Around the same time, she began appearing in Hollywood films, working regularly throughout the 1930s and 1940s. She appeared in more than 200 films. On Broadway, Boyd appeared in ''The Duchess Misbehaves'' (1946).

Selected filmography

* ''

Lydia Bailey ''Lydia Bailey'' is a 1952 American historical film directed by Jean Negulesco, based on the novel of the same name by Kenneth Roberts. It stars Dale Robertson and Anne Francis. Plot In 1802, lawyer Albion Hamlin travels from Baltimore to Ca ...

'' (1952) * ''

Skirts Ahoy! ''Skirts Ahoy!'' is a 1952 MGM musical film directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Esther Williams, Vivian Blaine and Joan Evans. It was shot in Technicolor. The film follows the adventures of several women who join the WAVES with sequences fil ...

'' (1952) * ''

The Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of ...

'' (1951) * '' I Was a Communist for the F.B.I.'' (1951) * '' The Jackie Robinson Story'' (1950) * '' Pinky'' (1949) * ''

The Doctor and the Girl ''The Doctor and the Girl'' (also known as ''Bodies and Souls'') is a 1949 American drama (film and television), drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Glenn Ford, Charles Coburn, Gloria DeHaven and Janet Leigh that was inspired by t ...

'' (1949) * ''

No Time for Romance ''No Time for Romance'' is a 1948 musical directed by Corney Cook. The film was noted for having an all-Black cast and for being one of the few all-Black films to be filmed in color during the era. Plot A struggling L.A. nightclub performer (Eu ...

'' (1948) * ''

Sun Tan Ranch ''Sun Tan Ranch'' is a comedy western produced by Norwanda Pictures in 1948. Little is known about the film and its crew, not to mention whether a print of the film still exists. Like Norwanda's other 1948 production, ''No Time for Romance'', the ...

'' (1948) * ''

Force of Evil ''Force of Evil'' is a 1948 American crime film noir starring John Garfield and directed by Abraham Polonsky. It was adapted by Polonsky and Ira Wolfert from Wolfert's novel ''Tucker's People''. Polonsky had been a screenwriter for the boxing f ...

'' (1948) * ''

The Decision of Christopher Blake ''The Decision of Christopher Blake'' is a 1948 American drama film based upon the Moss Hart play. It was adapted by Ranald MacDougall and directed by Peter Godfrey. The film stars Alexis Smith, Robert Douglas, Cecil Kellaway, Ted Donaldson, ...

'' (1948) * '' Out of the Past'' (1947) * ''

Variety Girl ''Variety Girl'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Mary Hatcher, Olga San Juan, DeForest Kelley, Frank Ferguson, Glenn Tryon, Nella Walker, Torben Meyer, Jack Norton, and William Demarest. It was prod ...

'' (1947) * ''

The Red Dragon ''The Red Dragon'' is a 1946 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, who has to sift through a host of suspects for three murders. The film marks the first appearance of Willie Best as Chattanooga Brown, Birmingham Brown's cousin. ...

'' (1945) * '' I Love a Bandleader'' (1945) * ''

Carolina Blues ''Carolina Blues'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and written by Joseph Hoffman, Al Martin (screenwriter), Al Martin and Jack Henley. The film stars Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, Jeff Donnell, Howard Freeman, Georgi ...

'' (1944) * '' Broadway Rhythm'' (1944) * '' Phantom Lady'' (1944) * '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'' (1943) * ''

Lady for a Night ''Lady for a Night'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Joan Blondell and John Wayne. The World War II B-17 bomber the ''Memphis Belle'' is named after a steamboat in this film. It is also known as ''The Lady from New Orleans'', ''Memphis ...

'' (1942) * ''

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

'' (1940) * '' Way Down South'' (1939) * '' Double Deal'' (1938) * '' Gang Smashers'' (1938) * '' The Duke Is Tops'' (1938) * ''

Spirit of Youth ''Spirit of Youth'' is a 1938 boxing film directed by Harry L. Fraser and starring then-heavyweight world champion Joe Louis in a story with similarities to his own real life. (According to IMDb, the Spanish title is ''La vida de Joe Louis'', w ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Singing Kid ''The Singing Kid'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by William Keighley and written by Warren Duff and Pat C. Flick. Starring Al Jolson, Sybil Jason, Beverly Roberts, Edward Everett Horton, Lyle Talbot and Allen Jenkins, it was released ...

'' (1936) * ''

Strike Me Pink "Strike Me Pink" is a song by American singer-songwriter Debbie Harry, released in 1993 as the second single from her fourth solo album, ''Debravation'' (1993). The song was written by Harry, Anne Dudley and Jonathan Bernstein, and produced by D ...

'' (1936) * ''

Murder at the Vanities ''Murder at the Vanities'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code musical film based on the 1933 Broadway show with music by Victor Young. It was released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Mitchell Leisen, stars Victor McLaglen, Carl Brisson, Jack ...

'' (1934) * ''

Merrily We Go to Hell ''Merrily We Go to Hell'' is a 1932 pre-Code film directed by Dorothy Arzner, and starring Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney. Its title is an example of the sensationalistic titles that were common in the pre-Code era. Many newspapers refused to p ...

'' (1932) * ''

Riley the Cop ''Riley the Cop'' is a 1928 American comedy film directed by John Ford. It was a silent film with a synchronized music track and sound effects. Cast * J. Farrell MacDonald as James "Aloysius" Riley (as Farrell Macdonald) * Nancy Drexel as Mary ...

'' (1928) * '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1928)

References

1908 births 1999 deaths People from Kingston, Tennessee Actresses from Tennessee American film actresses 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub