Billie Holiday

Biography

Billie Holiday, born Eleanora Fagan, was an American jazz singer with a career spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills. Billie Holiday appeared in four feature films and many television shows.

Known For

Jazz

as Self (archive footage)

Emperor Jones

as Extra in Nightclub Scene

Billie

as self

The Apollo

as Self (archive footage)

Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life

as Self - Blues Singer (uncredited)

This Is Pop

as Self (archive footage)

New Orleans

as Endie

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

as Self (archive footage)

Billie Holiday: A Sensation

as herself

It's Black Entertainment

as Self (archive footage)