Ethel Waters was a well-known American singer and actress during the Harlem Renaissance. Ethel was born on October 31, 1896 in Chester, PA and died on September 1, 1977 due to kidney failure, buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Waters grew up in extreme poverty, abandoned by her parents leaving her grandmother to raise her. She had one half-sister, Juanita Howard. She often stated, “I never was a child. I never was cuddled, liked, or understood by my family.” Waters only ever attended convent school before going to pursue her dreams of singing and acting. She was married three different times, all ending in divorce. Her last husband was Edward Mallory. She had no children throughout all of her marriages. Waters moved all around the country doing shows and concerts in different spots around the United States. Starting off her life in a slump, Waters turned her life around and made a huge impact on the black community. Waters started her career of singing and acting when she began singing in the church choir as a teenager. During her lifetime, she was active in the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Depression also began taking place midway through her life. However, this …show more content…
She paved the way for future African American artists to make a name for themselves and follow their dreams successfully. Waters was the first black women on Broadway, also being the highest paid black recording artist while on Broadway. She was the second African American to be nominated for the Academy Award. On top of that, she was the very first African American to have her very own television show. Her show was a 15-minute variety special airing on NBC. Lastly, she became the first African American women to be nominated for a primetime Emmy. Throughout her career, she inspired so many African Americans who thought they would never be good enough to become successful. She opened the eyes of so many by pursuing what she had