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NRLEP
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* AmbiguouslyBrown: She had blue-gray eyes, light brown skin and brown hair.
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* PlayingGertrude: Louise Beavers was only eight years older, playing Fredi's mother in ''Imitation of Life''. She plays Delilah when Peola is a child as well, and her more matronly frame (as well as Fredi being OlderThanTheyLook) makes it slightly more believable.
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Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer Creator/DorothyDandridge in ''Film/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than Creator/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
to:
Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer Creator/DorothyDandridge in ''Film/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than Creator/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
''Theatre/ShuffleAlong''.
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* TypeCasting: [[invoked]] Often as the archetypal 'tragic mulatto', thanks to her MixedAncestry.
to:
* TypeCasting: [[invoked]] Often as the archetypal 'tragic mulatto', thanks to her MixedAncestry.mixed ancestry.
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This was both a blessing and a curse. The Hays Code forbade any form of 'miscegenation' (and ''Imitation of Life'' itself was not approved by the office until two weeks into production) - so that prevented Fredi from being cast as a leading lady alongside white performers. And as she was lighter skinned, this made her lose out on a lot of roles for black women as well. She retired from films by the end of the 1930s.
Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer Dorothy Dandridge in ''Film/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than Creator/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer Dorothy Dandridge in ''Film/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than Creator/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
to:
This was both a blessing and a curse. The Hays Code forbade any form of 'miscegenation' (and ''Imitation of Life'' itself was not approved by the office until two weeks into production) - so that prevented Fredi from being cast as a leading lady alongside white performers. And as she was lighter skinned, lighter-skinned, this made her lose out on a lot of roles for black women as well. She retired from films by the end of the 1930s.
Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneerDorothy Dandridge Creator/DorothyDandridge in ''Film/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than Creator/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer
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* ButIPlayOneOnTV: [[invoked]] ''Imitation of Life'' led to people thinking Fredi herself had tried to pass for white. She denied ever doing so, saying she was only playing a character who felt that way.
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'''Fredi Washington''' (born Fredericka Carolyn Washington; December 23, 1903 – June 28, 1994) was an American actress, writer and eventual Civil Rights activist - active in the 1920s and 1930s.
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Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer Dorothy Dandridge in ''Theatre/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than UsefulNotes/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
to:
Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer Dorothy Dandridge in ''Theatre/CarmenJones''! ''Film/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than UsefulNotes/JosephineBaker Creator/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
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* {{Blackface}}: In ''Theatre/TheEmperorJones'', her fair complexion led to filmmakers worrying that her character would be mistaken for white (and thus that Brutus had shacked up with a white woman). So she wore dark make-up
* TheCastShowOff:[[invoked]] In her first film ''Film/BlackAndTan'', she showed off her dancing. She had been a chorus girl
* DawsonCasting:[[invoked]] ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - she was nearly 30 playing Peola at 18.
* TheCastShowOff:[[invoked]] In her first film ''Film/BlackAndTan'', she showed off her dancing. She had been a chorus girl
* DawsonCasting:[[invoked]] ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - she was nearly 30 playing Peola at 18.
to:
* {{Blackface}}: In ''Theatre/TheEmperorJones'', her fair complexion led to filmmakers worrying that her character would be mistaken for white (and thus that Brutus had shacked up with a white woman). So woman), so she wore dark make-up
make-up.
*TheCastShowOff:[[invoked]] TheCastShowOff: [[invoked]] In her first film ''Film/BlackAndTan'', she showed off her dancing. She had been a chorus girl
*DawsonCasting:[[invoked]] DawsonCasting: [[invoked]] ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - she was nearly 30 playing Peola at 18.
*
*
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* PlayingAgainstType:[[invoked]] In her last film ''Film/OneMileFromHeaven'', she plays a protective mother trying to hide her daughter from gangsters.
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* PlayingAgainstType:[[invoked]] PlayingAgainstType: [[invoked]] In her last film ''Film/OneMileFromHeaven'', she plays a protective mother trying to hide her daughter from gangsters.
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* RealLifeRelative:[[invoked]] She acted alongside her sister in the show ''Singing the Blues''.
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* RealLifeRelative:[[invoked]] RealLifeRelative: [[invoked]] She acted alongside her sister in the show ''Singing the Blues''.
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* {{Tuckerization}}:[[invoked]] The protagonist of the novel ''Literature/TheBluestEye'' is named after her character from ''Imitation of Life''.
* TypeCasting:[[invoked]] Often as the archetypal 'tragic mulatto', thanks to her MixedAncestry.
* TypeCasting:[[invoked]] Often as the archetypal 'tragic mulatto', thanks to her MixedAncestry.
to:
* {{Tuckerization}}:[[invoked]] {{Tuckerization}}: [[invoked]] The protagonist of the novel ''Literature/TheBluestEye'' is named after her character from ''Imitation of Life''.
*TypeCasting:[[invoked]] TypeCasting: [[invoked]] Often as the archetypal 'tragic mulatto', thanks to her MixedAncestry.
*
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* WordOfSaintPaul:[[invoked]] She felt that Peola didn't want to pass for white just for the sake of it - but because it would allow her the same opportunities as everyone else.
to:
* WordOfSaintPaul:[[invoked]] WordOfSaintPaul: [[invoked]] She felt that Peola in ''Imitation of Life'' didn't want to pass for white just for the sake of it - but because it would allow her the same opportunities as everyone else.
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'''Fredi Washington''' (born Fredericka Carolyn Washington) was an American actress, writer and eventual Civil Rights activist - active in the 1920s and 1930s.
to:
'''Fredi Washington''' (born Fredericka Carolyn Washington) Washington; December 23, 1903 – June 28, 1994) was an American actress, writer and eventual Civil Rights activist - active in the 1920s and 1930s.
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Moved a trope to Trivia tab
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'''Fredi Washington''' (born Fredericka Carolyn Washington) was an American actress, writer and eventual Civil Rights activist - active in the 1920s and 30s.
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'''Fredi Washington''' (born Fredericka Carolyn Washington) was an American actress, writer and eventual Civil Rights activist - active in the 1920s and 30s.
1930s.
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* ButIPlayOneOnTV: ''Imitation of Life'' led to people thinking she herself had tried to pass for white. She denied ever doing so, saying she was only playing a character who felt that way.
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* DawsonCasting:[[invoked]] ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - she was nearly thirty playing Peola at eighteen.
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* DawsonCasting:[[invoked]] ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - she was nearly thirty 30 playing Peola at eighteen.18.
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[[quoteright:214:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fredi_washington.jpg]]
'''Fredi Washington''' (born Fredericka Carolyn Washington) was an American actress, writer and eventual Civil Rights activist - active in the 1920s and 30s.
Fredi is best known for her portrayal of Peola in ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - a groundbreaking film that addressed race relations in America in that very character; she's born fair-skinned to a black mother, and eventually tries to pass for white - breaking her mother's heart in the process. Fredi herself was of mixed black and white ancestry, and afterwards received lots of fan mail from young people of colour thanking her for portraying their "struggles and contradictions" on the big screen.
This was both a blessing and a curse. The Hays Code forbade any form of 'miscegenation' (and ''Imitation of Life'' itself was not approved by the office until two weeks into production) - so that prevented Fredi from being cast as a leading lady alongside white performers. And as she was lighter skinned, this made her lose out on a lot of roles for black women as well. She retired from films by the end of the 1930s.
Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer Dorothy Dandridge in ''Theatre/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than UsefulNotes/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
!!Tropes associated with her work:
* AmbiguouslyBrown: She had blue-gray eyes, light brown skin and brown hair.
* {{Blackface}}: In ''Theatre/TheEmperorJones'', her fair complexion led to filmmakers worrying that her character would be mistaken for white (and thus that Brutus had shacked up with a white woman). So she wore dark make-up
* ButIPlayOneOnTV: ''Imitation of Life'' led to people thinking she herself had tried to pass for white. She denied ever doing so, saying she was only playing a character who felt that way.
* TheCastShowOff:[[invoked]] In her first film ''Film/BlackAndTan'', she showed off her dancing. She had been a chorus girl
* DawsonCasting:[[invoked]] ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - she was nearly thirty playing Peola at eighteen.
* PassFail: Defied many times. She in fact refused opportunities from studios to promote her as a white movie star.
--> "You see I'm a mighty proud gal, and I can't for the life of me find any valid reason why anyone should lie about their origin, or anything else for that matter. Frankly, I do not ascribe to the stupid theory of white supremacy and to try to hide the fact that I am a Negro for economic or any other reasons. If I do, I would be agreeing to be a Negro makes me inferior and that I have swallowed whole hog all of the propaganda dished out by our fascist-minded white citizens."
* PlayingAgainstType:[[invoked]] In her last film ''Film/OneMileFromHeaven'', she plays a protective mother trying to hide her daughter from gangsters.
* PlayingGertrude: Louise Beavers was only eight years older, playing Fredi's mother in ''Imitation of Life''. She plays Delilah when Peola is a child as well, and her more matronly frame (as well as Fredi being OlderThanTheyLook) makes it slightly more believable.
* RealLifeRelative:[[invoked]] She acted alongside her sister in the show ''Singing the Blues''.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: People often said that she was too pretty to play the stereotypical {{Mammy}} and servile roles offered to black actresses.
* StageNames: In the play ''Black Boy'', she was credited under the name Edith Warren.
* {{Tuckerization}}:[[invoked]] The protagonist of the novel ''Literature/TheBluestEye'' is named after her character from ''Imitation of Life''.
* TypeCasting:[[invoked]] Often as the archetypal 'tragic mulatto', thanks to her MixedAncestry.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:[[invoked]] The 1959 remake of ''Imitation of Life'' approached her about reprising her role - now named Sarah Jane. As she was both retired from films and nearly fifty, she turned it down.
* WordOfSaintPaul:[[invoked]] She felt that Peola didn't want to pass for white just for the sake of it - but because it would allow her the same opportunities as everyone else.
'''Fredi Washington''' (born Fredericka Carolyn Washington) was an American actress, writer and eventual Civil Rights activist - active in the 1920s and 30s.
Fredi is best known for her portrayal of Peola in ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - a groundbreaking film that addressed race relations in America in that very character; she's born fair-skinned to a black mother, and eventually tries to pass for white - breaking her mother's heart in the process. Fredi herself was of mixed black and white ancestry, and afterwards received lots of fan mail from young people of colour thanking her for portraying their "struggles and contradictions" on the big screen.
This was both a blessing and a curse. The Hays Code forbade any form of 'miscegenation' (and ''Imitation of Life'' itself was not approved by the office until two weeks into production) - so that prevented Fredi from being cast as a leading lady alongside white performers. And as she was lighter skinned, this made her lose out on a lot of roles for black women as well. She retired from films by the end of the 1930s.
Her experiences as an actress led to her becoming outspoken about racism and the issues that faced African-Americans. In her life she was also a theatre writer and casting assistant - she was responsible for casting pioneer Dorothy Dandridge in ''Theatre/CarmenJones''! She was also given her start by none other than UsefulNotes/JosephineBaker - who got her cast in the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''.
!!Tropes associated with her work:
* AmbiguouslyBrown: She had blue-gray eyes, light brown skin and brown hair.
* {{Blackface}}: In ''Theatre/TheEmperorJones'', her fair complexion led to filmmakers worrying that her character would be mistaken for white (and thus that Brutus had shacked up with a white woman). So she wore dark make-up
* ButIPlayOneOnTV: ''Imitation of Life'' led to people thinking she herself had tried to pass for white. She denied ever doing so, saying she was only playing a character who felt that way.
* TheCastShowOff:[[invoked]] In her first film ''Film/BlackAndTan'', she showed off her dancing. She had been a chorus girl
* DawsonCasting:[[invoked]] ''Film/ImitationOfLife1934'' - she was nearly thirty playing Peola at eighteen.
* PassFail: Defied many times. She in fact refused opportunities from studios to promote her as a white movie star.
--> "You see I'm a mighty proud gal, and I can't for the life of me find any valid reason why anyone should lie about their origin, or anything else for that matter. Frankly, I do not ascribe to the stupid theory of white supremacy and to try to hide the fact that I am a Negro for economic or any other reasons. If I do, I would be agreeing to be a Negro makes me inferior and that I have swallowed whole hog all of the propaganda dished out by our fascist-minded white citizens."
* PlayingAgainstType:[[invoked]] In her last film ''Film/OneMileFromHeaven'', she plays a protective mother trying to hide her daughter from gangsters.
* PlayingGertrude: Louise Beavers was only eight years older, playing Fredi's mother in ''Imitation of Life''. She plays Delilah when Peola is a child as well, and her more matronly frame (as well as Fredi being OlderThanTheyLook) makes it slightly more believable.
* RealLifeRelative:[[invoked]] She acted alongside her sister in the show ''Singing the Blues''.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: People often said that she was too pretty to play the stereotypical {{Mammy}} and servile roles offered to black actresses.
* StageNames: In the play ''Black Boy'', she was credited under the name Edith Warren.
* {{Tuckerization}}:[[invoked]] The protagonist of the novel ''Literature/TheBluestEye'' is named after her character from ''Imitation of Life''.
* TypeCasting:[[invoked]] Often as the archetypal 'tragic mulatto', thanks to her MixedAncestry.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:[[invoked]] The 1959 remake of ''Imitation of Life'' approached her about reprising her role - now named Sarah Jane. As she was both retired from films and nearly fifty, she turned it down.
* WordOfSaintPaul:[[invoked]] She felt that Peola didn't want to pass for white just for the sake of it - but because it would allow her the same opportunities as everyone else.
