1. Dona Drake was an American singer, dancer, and film actress in the 1930s and 1940s.
17 Facts About Dona Drake
1. 2.
Dona Drake was typically cast in ethnic roles including Latin American and Middle Easterners.
3.
Dona Drake was born Eunice Westmoreland in Miami, Florida on November 15,1914 to Joseph Andrew Westmoreland, Sr.
4.
Dona Drake was likely African American with some white heritage from her father's side.
5.
Dona Drake often presented herself as Hispanic and reportedly spoke Spanish but had no documented Hispanic, Spanish, or Latin American heritage.
6.
Dona Drake's father was from Arkansas and her mother was from Alabama.
7.
Dona Drake began performing in 1932, working under the name Una Villon as a chorus girl and in nightclubs.
8.
Dona Drake began using the name Rita Rio in 1935, when she was featured at the Paradise cabaret on Broadway.
9.
Dona Drake settled on the stage name Dona Drake in the early 1940s.
10.
Studio publicity during her heyday incorrectly stated that Dona Drake was of Mexican origin and was born Rita Novella.
11.
Dona Drake was sometimes cast as an ethnic character, such as a Latina, Middle Easterner, American Indian, or Gypsy.
12.
Dona Drake is perhaps best known for playing the American Indian maid of Bette Davis in Beyond the Forest.
13.
Dona Drake appeared as the Arab girl Mihirmah, opposite Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in Road to Morocco in 1942.
14.
Dona Drake had a "non-ethnic", non-musical role as the second female lead in the 1949 comedy The Girl from Jones Beach, playing opposite Eddie Bracken.
15.
In 1936, Dona Drake was questioned by the FBI about the murder of her then-boyfriend and known mobster, Louis Amberg.
16.
Dona Drake claimed to only know him as "Mr Cohen" and had no idea what he did for a living.
17.
Dona Drake married Oscar and Emmy award-winning fashion designer William Travilla on August 19,1944.