Tommie Moore
Tommie Moore (December 2, 1917August 17, 2004) was an actor in theater, film, and television. She was born Pretty Tomiwitta Moore and shortened her name, though she was sometimes credited as Tomiwitta Moore. Early life. Moore was a native of Pasadena, California, where she performed on the stage as a child. She was given the name "Tomiwitta" because her father had wanted a boy to name "Thomas". Career. She traveled to New York to go to dramatic school, but instead became a page girl at the Cotton Club. One of her job duties was to escort W.C. Handy  on and off the stage. Moore toured in the starring role in a touring production of "Claudia" in 1946. She left "Claudia" for the original theatrical production of "Beggar's Holiday" the same year playing Tawdry Audrey. In the production, she had to run across the stage in a two-handkerchief bathing suit. She performed as part of the chorus of three (with Eartha Kitt and Helena Hughes) in Orson Welles' production of "The Blessed and the Damned" in Paris in 1950. Both "Beggar's Holiday" and "The Blessed and the Damned in Paris" had music by Duke Ellington. In  her film career, she received positive notice for her role in "The Green-Eyed Blonde" (1957); a "Variety" review called her a "standout" and "Ebony" magazine profiled her around the time of the film's release. She appeared on television shows "The Amos 'n Andy Show" and "Bourbon Street Beat". Personal life. She was engaged to postal worker George Gray and was involved with the Red Cross.