Tamara Janice Dobson (May 14, 1947 – October 2, 2006) was an American actress and fashion model. Beginning her career in modeling during the late 1960s, Dobson became best known for her title role as government agent Cleopatra "Cleo" Jones the 1973

Blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

film '' Cleopatra Jones'' and its 1975 sequel '' Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold''.

Early life and education

Born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, Dobson was the second of four children born to Melvin and Evelyn Dobson (née Russell). Dobson started as a beautician. Dobson started her modeling career doing fashion shows at her school, Maryland Institute College of Art, where she also received her

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

in fashion illustration. While studying, Dobson was discovered in 1969 and began to film

commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

and modeled.

Career

After school, Dobson moved from Maryland to New York to model and act full-time. Dobson modeled for '' Jet Magazine'' sometime during her early modeling career. Dobson eventually became a fashion model for '' Vogue Magazine'', in addition to modeling for '' Essence'' magazine. She was also in TV commercials for Revlon, Fabergé, and

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

. Dobson is also recognized by the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' as the "Tallest Leading Lady in Film", standing at 6 foot 2 inches. Aside from Cleopatra Jones, Dobson had roles in other films such as '' Come Back, Charleston Blue''; '' Chained Heat'' and '' Norman... Is That You?'' Dobson also starred in episode 13 of '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' as Doctor Delora Bayliss and in Season 2 of '' Jason of Star Command''.

Health and death

Dobson was diagnosed with

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

in 2000. She died on October 2, 2006, at Keswick Multi-Care Center in

, of complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis, at age 59. Dobson never married or had children.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Biography

Actress Tamara Dobson, Star of 'Cleopatra Jones,' Dies At 59
Vibe.com

Cocoalounge.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Tamara 1947 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Baltimore African-American female models American female models African-American models Deaths from multiple sclerosis Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland Maryland Institute College of Art alumni Neurological disease deaths in Maryland African-American actresses American television actresses American film actresses 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women