profile image

Billie Holiday

Apr 07, 1915 - Jul 17, 1959 (44 years old) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

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

poster
Billie Holiday: Strange Fruit
Herself
poster
New Orleans
Endie
poster
Jazz
Self (archive footage)
poster
Emperor Jones
Extra in Nightclub Scene
poster
This Is Pop
Self (archive footage)
poster
Billie
self
poster
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
poster
It's Black Entertainment
Self (archive footage)
poster
Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got
Self (archive footage)
poster
Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life
Self - Blues Singer (uncredited)

Credits