Bessie Smith
Acting1894Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Biography
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on fellow blues singers, as well as jazz vocalists.
Known For
St. Louis Blues
Bessie - Battered Wife
A Huey P. Newton Story
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
It's Black Entertainment
Self (archive footage)
The Story Of The Blues
Self (archive footage)
Blues Masters
Self (archive footage)
Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music
Self (archive footage)
Blues Masters - The Essential History of the Blues
Self (archive footage)
Acting History
2025
Memories
Music
2024
STAIN
Music
2004
The Story Of The Blues
as Self (archive footage)
2002
It's Black Entertainment
as Self (archive footage)
2001
A Huey P. Newton Story
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1999
Blues Masters
as Self (archive footage)
1993
Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music
as Self (archive footage)
Blues Masters - The Essential History of the Blues
as Self (archive footage)
1929
St. Louis Blues
as Bessie - Battered Wife