She had the face of an angel and a smoldering heat that was a combustible combination of raw talent, sexiness and determination. Her rise to stardom was cursed by a beauty that opened doors and a skin color that closed them. Caught between a talent that catapulted her to national acclaim and a society still influenced by prejudice, Dorothy Dandridge sought to overcome color barriers in the entertainment industry and society at large. She was a pioneer, paving the way for black entertainers today.

Set against the glamorous backdrop of Hollywood in the '40s and '50s, the HBO Pictures biographical drama INTRODUCING DOROTHY DANDRIDGE tells the poignant story of the renowned black actress/singer/dancer and traces the little-known mysteries of her life and death.

Beginning with her early success as a member of the Dandridge Sisters at the famous Cotton Club, the film follows Dandridge's career under the guidance of manager Earl Mills, capturing the triumphs and failures, frustration and exhilaration, as well as the personal happiness and heartache. Dandridge achieved the ultimate success in the title role of the 1954 film "Carmen Jones," making history as the first black woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award.(r) Despite her accomplishments, her life was fraught with disappointments and despair, and at the age of 42, Dorothy Dandridge unexpectedly died. INTRODUCING DOROTHY DANDRIDGE debuts SATURDAY, AUG. 21 at 9:00 p.m. (ET), exclusively on HBO.

Other playdates: Aug. 24 (9:00 p.m.) and Aug. 29 (11:30 p.m.), and Sept. 1 (11:00 p.m.), 7 (1:25 a.m.), 9 (9:00 p.m.) and 13 (10:30 p.m.).

Halle Berry ("Bulworth," "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"), Brent Spiner ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"), Obba Babatunde (HBO NYC's "Miss Evers' Boys"), Loretta Devine ("Waiting to Exhale"), Cynda Williams ("The Wedding"), LaTanya Richardson ("U.S. Marshals"), Tamara Taylor ("Party of Five") and Alexis Carrington star with D.B. Sweeney ("Spawn") and Klaus Maria Brandauer (Best Supporting Actor Oscar(r) nomination for 1985's "Out of Africa") as Otto Preminger in HBO Pictures' INTRODUCING DOROTHY DANDRIDGE. Directed by Martha Coolidge ("Out to Sea," "Rambling Rose"), the film is executive produced by Moctesuma Esparza, Robert Katz ("Selena") and Joshua D. Maurer ("Dead Men Can't Dance"). Vincent Cirrincione and Halle Berry also serve as executive producers, and Larry Albucher ("Three Wishes") produces. The script is written by Shonda Rhimes ("The Other Woman") and Scott Abbott (HBO's "Winchell"), based on the book "Dorothy Dandridge," by Earl Mills. INTRODUCING DOROTHY DANDRIDGE is an Esparza Katz Production in association with Berry/Cirrincione.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Dorothy Dandridge (1924-1965) has long been an idol of Halle Berry. "I was mesmerized by her beauty, her poise and her charisma," says Berry. "I had never seen a black woman quite like that in a film. She was someone I could admire and aspire to be like. She gave me hope."

Berry made it her personal mission to be the first to tell Dandridge's story and spent six years making the project a reality. "I thought this was something I would love to do as an actress," she notes. "But I also thought Dorothy never got the due she deserved in her lifetime. Someone needed to finally give her that recognition."

Director Martha Coolidge also found Dandridge's story compelling. "As I researched, I came to realize what an extraordinarily gifted performer she was," says Coolidge. "I knew she was good, but when you look at her work and realize what a beautiful woman she was; how absolutely gifted she was; how special her sensitivity was, it was inevitable that she would be a star."

Coolidge notes many similarities between Dandridge and Berry. "There couldn't be a better person than Halle Berry to portray Dorothy Dandridge. She is beautiful in the same way. She also has an incredible sensitivity. She is absolutely driven in the same way and, even today, feels the same outrage at limitations placed on her that Dorothy felt in her day."

To lend to the authenticity of the project, Coolidge recreated many of the dance sequences, as well as the locations where Dandridge performed. Berry trained vigorously with choreographers for three months prior to production in order to perform such numbers as "Your Red Wagon," with the Dandridge Sisters, and "Chattanooga Choo Choo," with the Nicholas Brothers, as well as "Somebody," "That's All," "You Do Something to Me" and "I Got Rhythm."

Production designer James Spencer had the challenging task of recreating such famous nightclubs as the Cotton Club in New York, Ciro's in Miami and the Mocambo Room in Los Angeles. In addition, Spencer went to great lengths to duplicate elaborate sets from the film productions of "Sun Valley Serenade," "Tarzan's Peril," "Carmen Jones" and "Porgy and Bess."

Costume designer Shelley Komarov ("The Newton Boys") re-created the couture glamour of the '50s with more than 80 costumes for Halle Berry, 200 costumes for the principals and 1000 costumes for the extras. "It was absolutely incredible to work on the wardrobe of such a glamorous artist as Dorothy Dandridge, who was actually a fashion icon as well," said Komarov. "I love the glamour of that period. The influence of '50s couture is still very strong and popular today. Designers still look to that time for inspiration."

One of the real tests of the film's integrity came during production with visits by the real Earl Mills (Dandridge's manager), Fayard Nicholas (her brother-in-law) and Geri Branton (her best friend), who not only revisited their own memories of Dandridge, but also gave their enthusiastic stamp of approval.

SYNOPSIS

Raised in Cleveland by her actress mother Ruby (Loretta Devine), Dorothy Dandridge (Halle Berry) and her older sister Vivian (Cynda Williams) spend their adolescent years having to endure a turbulent life with their mother's "special friend," the overbearing and sometimes violent Auntie (LaTanya Richardson). One night, in a fit of rage, Auntie sexually assaults Dandridge as she returns home from a date to "check" whether she has lost her virginity. Dandridge is haunted by the horror of this incident for the rest of her life.

At the age of 18, Dorothy (also known as Dottie) and Vivian form the Dandridge Sisters with friend Etta Jones (Sharon Brown). The singing and dancing trio perform at the Cotton Club, where they meet the renowned and dazzling tap-dancing Nicholas Brothers, Harold (Obba Babatunde) and Fayard (Darrian C. Ford). Eager to escape a dysfunctional home, the young Dorothy marries the suave and persistent Harold Nicholas and forms a close and lifelong friendship with Fayard's wife Geri (Tamara Taylor).

Harold and Dorothy's marriage is a struggle, complicated further by the birth of their mentally retarded daughter Lynn. Her marriage to Harold steadily disintegrates, as she is never quite comfortable with intimacy or with her husband's unending need to be on the road. The pressure of family life proves to be too much for Harold and he abandons Dorothy and Lynn to restart his career in Paris.

Left on her own, Dandridge is determined to build a career as a performer and makes an agonizing decision to leave Lynn with a nursemaid until she can afford to take care of her.

Keeping company one evening with fellow show-business newcomers Marilyn Monroe (Kerri Randles) and Ava Gardner (Jon Mack), Dandridge is discovered at a party by music manager Earl Mills (Brent Spiner). Soon, he coaxes the beautiful, self-described "actress" he affectionately calls "Angel Face" into concentrating on a singing career.

With Mills' help, doors begin to open for Dandridge, and her success leads her on an international tour. Though she is celebrated as a headline performer, the hypocrisy of show business and society's racism become all too real. She is denied the most common guest courtesies, refused access to restrooms, and allowed passage to the stage only through service areas. Dandridge somehow gains strength through humility. During her stay at the Riviera in Las Vegas, she finds that "colored" people are not allowed to use the pool. Dandridge decides to test the limits and puts her toe in the pool, only to discover later that the pool has been drained and cleaned as a result of her defiant act. This sobering experience typifies the challenge she has to face.

In 1954, Dandridge has the opportunity to audition for the first all-Negro cast of "Carmen" and sets her sights on the starring role. Her sexiness and determination win over director Otto Preminger (Klaus Maria Brandauer), enabling her to capture the role of a lifetime, as well as the heart of the white, married director. During their torrid love affair, Preminger promises Dandridge they will be together publicly "when the time is right" and the world is ready for an interracial couple.

Two triumphs add to Dandridge's personal bliss -- she becomes the first black woman to receive a Best Actress Academy Award(r) nomination, for her role in "Carmen Jones," and, as a result, the first black woman to appear on the cover of Life magazine.

Dandridge does not win the Oscar,(r) however, and is unable to parlay her nomination into other credible roles. She severs ties with longtime manager Mills, at the encouragement of Preminger and out of frustration over her professional dry spell. Eventually, her tumultuous affair with Preminger ends painfully when he walks out on her. Unwanted and confused, Dandridge finds her career careening off-course, a situation exacerbated by her ensuing addiction to prescription drugs.

Vulnerable and insecure, Dandridge enters into a short-lived second marriage with white nightclub owner Jack Dennison (D.B. Sweeney), a two-bit con artist who is mentally and physically abusive. Dandridge is forced to pay off large debts incurred by Dennison as part of the divorce settlement and ultimately faces bankruptcy herself. In financial jeopardy and unable to pay the private nursing bills, a distraught Dandridge must relinquish her rights as a parent and hand over her now teenage daughter Lynn (Aiysha Sinclair) to the state to be institutionalized.

In the depths of her depression, Dorothy is reunited with former manager Mills, who attempts to resurrect her career. Plans for a successful comeback are brought to a tragic halt when Dandridge is found dead on the morning she is to depart for a national tour. She is 42.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office classified Dandridge's death as an overdose of a prescription anti-depressant, but declined to rule it an accident or suicide. To this day, her death remains a mystery.

BIOS

Halle Berry (Dorothy Dandridge) has starred in such feature films as "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Bulworth," "B.A.P.S.," "The Rich Man's Wife," "Executive Decision," "The Flintstones" and "Losing Isaiah," among others. Her TV credits include the miniseries "The Wedding," executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, "Solomon and Sheba" and "Queen," for which Berry won an NAACP Image Award.

Brent Spiner (Earl Mills) received a Drama Desk nomination for his role onstage as John Adams in "1776." His film credits include "Out to Sea," "Independence Day," "Phenomenon," "Star Trek: First Contact" and "Star Trek: Insurrection." Spiner was a regular on the hit series "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Obba Babatunde (Harold Nicholas) received an Emmy(r) nomination for the HBO NYC film "Miss Evers' Boys," and has also been seen in the HBO Pictures films "The Cherokee Kid" and "Soul of the Game." His other film credits include "Coffee Boy," "That Thing You Do!" and the recent "Life."

Loretta Devine's (Ruby Dandridge) TV credits include HBO Pictures' "Don King: Only in America" and "Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault." Her feature films include "Waiting to Exhale," "Hoodlum," "The Preacher's Wife," "Urban Legend" and "Love Kills."

LaTanya Richardson's (Auntie) film credits include "U.S. Marshals," "Loved," "Losing Isaiah" and "When a Man Loves a Woman." Her TV credits include "The Deliverance of Elaine," "Shameful Secrets" and "Frannie's Turn."

D.B. Sweeney (Jack Dennison) has been seen in such films as "Spawn," "Roommates," "The Cutting Edge," "Eight Men Out" and "Memphis Belle." Sweeney's TV credits include "C-16," "Strange Luck" and "Lonesome Dove."

Tamara Taylor (Geri Nicholas) is known for her TV role as Grace on "Party of Five." Her film credits include "Senseless" and "Life Stinks."

Cynda Williams (Vivian Dandridge) starred with Halle Berry in Oprah Winfrey's "The Wedding." Her feature films include "One False Move," "Caught Up," "Condition Red" and "Relax...It's Just Sex."

Klaus Maria Brandauer received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar(r) nomination for 1985's "Out of Africa." His other films include "Mephisto," "The Russia House," "Never Say Never Again," "Becoming Colette" and "Quo Vadis."

Director Martha Coolidge's feature films include "Out to Sea," "Angie," "Lost in Yonkers," "Rambling Rose" and the upcoming "You Must Remember This," which she also wrote. Her TV credits include "Crazy in Love," "Bare Essentials" and "Trenchcoat in Paradise."

Writer Shonda Rhimes has penned three upcoming feature films, including "Love for Hire," "When Willows Touch" and "Human Seeking Same," to star Demi Moore.

Writer Scott Abbott's credits includes HBO Pictures' "Winchell" and the TV movies "Run for the Dream" and "Breach of Conduct."

Executive producers Moctesuma Esparza and Robert Katz's feature film credits include the critically-acclaimed "Selena," as well as "Butter." Their TV credits include "The Roughriders," "Goat Christmas," "The Cisco Kid," "Gettysburg" and the upcoming movie "The Cesar Chavez Story." Esparza also produced "The Milagro Beanfield War."

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