Born to Carrie McDonald, a laundress, and Eddie Carson, a musician, Josephine's early life hinted at her future career. She first danced for the public on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and dimes. Later, she became a chorus girl on the St. Louis stage. At 15, she married a Pullman porter named Baker, but left him when she ran away from St. Louis at age 17, feeling there was too much racial discrimination in the city. Her first job in Paris was in La revue negre. Her next significant job was at the Folies bergere, where she was a member of their all-black revue. It was at the Folies bergere, in 1925, that she first performed her famous banana dance. She quickly became a favorite of the French, and her fame grew. She had many ups and downs during her career. Although popular in France, during the McCarthy era she was told that she was no longer welcome in the United States. In 1937 she renounced her American citizenship and became a citizen of France. In 1961, she was awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor. In the late 1960's, she began having financial difficulties, and stopped performing in 1968. Princess Grace offered her a home in Monaco when she learned of Josephine's financial problems. At the request of Princess Grace, she performed at Monaco's summer ball in 1974, and was a great success. That same year, she staged a week of performances in New York and called the show 'An Evening with Josephine Baker.' She had just begun a Paris revue celebrating her half-century on the stage, when on April 10 she was stricken and went into a coma. She died without regaining consciousness. Her funeral was held in Paris, and she was buried in Monaco.
Refused to perform in clubs that practiced racial segregation. In 1928, her husband/manager 'Count' Pepito di Abatino dueled Andrew Czolovodi, a Hungarian cavalry officer, over Josephine in St. Stephen's cemetery in Budapest. The duel lasted only 10 minutes, ending when di Abatino was scratched by Czolovodi's blade. During World War II, she worked as a spy for the French resistance. Once had a rejected (and dejected) suitor kill himself at her feet. She adopted 12 children, partly because she couldn't have any of her own and partly because she believed in equality for all, no matter what nationality, religion or race they were of. They were called "the Rainbow Children" and their names were: Aiko (Korea), Luis (Colombia), Janot (Japan), Jari (Finland), Jean-Claude (Canada), Moses (French), Marianne (France), Noel (France), Brahim (Arab), Mara (Venezuela), Koffi (the Ivory-Coast), Stellina (Morocco). Inducted into Hall of Famous Missourians, 1995. Janet Flanner, "New Yorker" correspondent said of her "Her magnificent dark body, a new model to the French, proved for the first time that black was beautiful." Pablo Picasso said of her: "Tall, coffee skin, ebony eyes, legs of paradise, a smile to end all smiles." In 1995 had a song written about her by the band Fossil entitled "Josephine Baker" In 2003 another musical went on stage, in Belgium, called "Simenon et Josephine". It was a musical comedy related to the Maigret year of 2003 in Belgium. Simenon, the Belgium author and inventor of Inspector "Maigret" had a short relationship with Josephine in 1925. He couldn't stand it however that she was more in the spotlight then him, and called himself "Mr. Josephine". The Dutchman Henk van der Meijden, composed and wrote a musical about the life of Josephine Baker called "Josephine" which had its premiere in 1991 at Luxor Theater, Rotterdam. Cheryl Howard played the role of Josephine. The musical contained 5 original songs of Josephine, as well as new written songs. Is portrayed by Lynn Whitfield in The Josephine Baker Story and by Victoria Gabrielle Platt in Winchell Buried in the Cimetiere de Monaco in Monte Carlo. She became a French citizen in 1937. She served in the French Resistance in World War II. Had pet leopards that she would walk down the Champs-Elysees. In 1951 the Stork Club in New York City refused to serve her because she was black. This led to a confrontation with columnist Walter Winchell. Later, she was falsely accused of being a communist sympathizer, and the FBI started a file on her. In a "Wayne's World" skit on "Saturday Night Live", she was ranked Number 8 in Wayne's Top 10 Babes of All Time.