An illegitimate child, Eartha Kitt was born in the cotton fields of South Carolina, the daughter of a white dirt farmer and a black Cherokee mother. Given away by her mother, she arrived in Harlem at age nine, and at 15 she quit high school to work in a Brooklyn factory. As a teenager, Kitt lived in friends' homes and in the subways. By the 1950s, however, she had sung and danced her way out of poverty and into the spotlight: performing with the Katherine Dunham troupe on a European tour, soloing at a Paris night club and becoming the toast of the Continent. Orson Welles called her "the most exciting girl in the world". She speaks out on hard issues and plays no favorites; at one point, she drew flak from blacks by working throughout South Africa and reveling in her treatment there as an honorary white.
Daughter, Kitt Shapiro. Grandchildren, Justin, 8, and Rachel, 4. Kitt's age was always a mystery, until 1998, when a group of students from her hometown in South Carolina unearthed her birth certificate. The document revealed that her true birthday is January 17, 1927. Measurements: 35-23-35 (as Catwoman), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) Ranked #89 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll Was virtually exiled from the United States after making anti-war statements during a White House luncheon in 1968. The statements were so negative that Lady Bird Johnson began to weep uncontrollably. Was nominated twice for Broadway's Tony Award: in 1978, as Best Actress (Musical) for "Timbuktu!"; and in 2000, as Best Actress (Featured Role - Musical) for "The Wild Party." Was inspired to go into show business after witnessing the wild applause that the audience gave José Ferrer after one of his stage performances as Cyrano de Bergerac in 1946. Her name can be seen on a Marquee in the famous cult film Plan 9 From Outer Space.