Complex sentence: Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9,1922--September 8,1965) was an American actress and singer, and was the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Split into simpler sentences: Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9,1922--September 8,1965) was an American actress and singer. Dandridge was the first African-American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.