Dorothy Dandridge, the first African American actress to be nominated for an Oscar in a starring role, would have been 89 years old today. Dandridge found herself stuck in the odd, catch 22 of being a starlet in the early ’50s — a time when it was still taboo for white and black actors to mingle on the marquee, yet Dandridge was decidedly too pretty for anything less than top billing.

If you’re not familiar with her films, which include Tarzan’s Peril, Porgy & Bess and Carmen Jones, the 1954 film for which she was earned her Best Actress nomination, you may recognize Dandridge’s name from her 1999 HBO biopic that starred Halle Berry. Ironically, Berry became the first African American actress to win a Best Actress Oscar three years later.

Tragically, Dandridge died of a drug overdose in 1965, when she was only 42 years old. But her classic beauty and graceful glamour lives on through her legacy and, of course, her timeless style.

Some of our favorite Dorothy Dandridge looks, after the jump.