Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all.
Sheila Guyse
Beautiful multi-talented Sheila Guyse was a popular, well-loved figure on the stage and screen of the Dorothy Dandridge era. Some critics even felt she was a better actress than Dandridge, some said if Sheila ever decided to go to Hollywood, she would give her a run for her money. She appeared in three independent black films, "Boy, What A Girl", "Sepia Cinderella" and "Miracle In Harlem" giving magnificent performances in all of them. Guyse wasn't an experienced or trained actress, but you never know it. She appeared in many stage productions such as "Lost in the Stars" and "Finian's Rainbow" which were both long running. Her singing voice was as beautiful as she was, divine, sweet, easy on the ears whether singing jazz, pop, or gospel. Very popular in the 1940s and 1950s, Sheila graced many covers of magazines like Jet, Ebony, Our World, Hue and many others, reviews were always flattering.
Born Rose Louise Hovick in Seattle, Washington, in 1911, but called Louise from early childhood, Gypsy Rose Lee was the daughter of a mild-mannered businessman and a restless, fiery young woman named Rose, who was determined to get out of Seattle and make a life for herself and her daughter in show business.