Name
Dona Drake
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1914-11-15
Deathday
1989-06-20 (75 years old)
Place of Birth
Miami, Florida, USA
Biography
Dona Drake (born Eunice Westmoreland on November 15, 1914) was an African-American singer, dancer, and film actress active in the 1930s and 1940s. Despite her heritage, she often identified as Mexican or of Latin descent to navigate Hollywood’s racial landscape. Over her career, she was frequently cast in ethnic roles, portraying Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and European characters.
She performed under various stage names, including Una Novella, Rita Novella, and Rita Rio. In the early 1940s, she led an all-girl orchestra and gained recognition for her musical and dance performances. She appeared in films such as Kansas City Confidential (1952), Louisiana Purchase (1941), and Road to Morocco (1942). Despite her talents, she remained a supporting actress rather than a leading star.
Dona Drake passed away on June 20, 1989, due to pneumonia and respiratory failure. Her ashes were scattered at sea near Point Fermin in California.
Known For
5.6
A girl is desperate to get to Washington D.C. to be with her lonesome brother, a wounded G...
7.273
Shalimar, an Egyptian princess, striving to rid her country of its Bedouin conquerors, for...
6.182
Pop, a security guard at Paramount has told his son that he's the head of the studio. When...
6.773
When the Daltons are killed at Coffeyville, gang member Bill Doolin, arriving late, escape...
7.1
An ex-convict sets out to uncover who framed him for an armored car robbery....
7.75
This 'prequel' to The Little Foxes tells how the ruthless members of the old-South Hubbard...
6.2
Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard...
6.667
A bumbling senator investigating graft in Louisiana is the target of a scheme involving a ...
6.7
Rosa, the self-serving wife of a small-town doctor, gets a better offer when a wealthy big...
- 1952 Kansas City Confidential as Teresa
- 1950 Fortunes of Captain Blood as Pepita
- 1949 Beyond the Forest as Jenny
- 1938 Sweet Shoe as Rita Rio
- 1941 Louisiana Purchase as Beatrice
- 1948 So This Is New York as Kate Goff
- 1942 Star Spangled Rhythm as Dona Drake
- 1953 The Bandits of Corsica as Zelda
- 1949 The Girl from Jones Beach as Connie Martin
- 1949 The Doolins of Oklahoma as Cattle Annie
- 1954 Princess of the Nile as Mirva
- 1941 Aloma of the South Seas as Nea
- 1941 Feed the Kitty as Self / Singer (as Rita Rio)
- 1941 Pan-Americonga as Rita Rio
- 1953 Down Laredo Way as Narita
- 1951 Valentino as Maria Torres
- 1944 Hot Rhythm as Mary Adams
- 1936 Strike Me Pink as Mademoiselle Fifi
- 1946 Without Reservations as Dolores Ortega
- 1943 Let's Face It as Muriel
- 1941 I Look at You as Herself
- 1945 Hollywood Victory Caravan as Dona Drake
- 1953 Son of Belle Starr as Dolores
- 1939 Rita Rio and Her Orchestra as Rita Rio
- 1943 Sticks and Stones
- 1942 Road to Morocco as Mihirmah
- 1948 Another Part of the Forest as Laurette Sincee
- 1946 Dangerous Millions as Elena Valdez
- 1943 Salute for Three
- 1952 Adventures of Superman ( 1 episode )
- 1953 City Detective ( 1 episode )
