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Pearl Bailey

Pearl Bailey

Actor · Died August 17, 1990, aged 72 · Newport News, Virginia, USA

Her father Joseph was a minister and her mother was named Ella Mae. Her birth name was Pearly Mae but her parents anticipated she would be a boy and when a girl was born she was nicknamed "Dickie". Her brother was entertainer Bill Bailey (1912-1978). She spent her early life in Washington DC where she received her early education. Bailey frequently appeared in the Old Howard theater in downtown Washington. As a young woman she toured the Pennsylvania mining towns as a dancer and later as a singer in Vaudeville. She starred in the film St. Louis Blues opposite Nat King Cole, which was the biography of W.C. Handy. Her greatest theater role was in the Broadway musical "Hello Dolly".

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
March 29, 1918
Died
August 17, 1990 (aged 72)
From
Newport News, Virginia, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 8% in 30 days

What are Pearl Bailey's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
37%
Self
21%
Society
17%
Power
16%
Survival
5%
Morality
4%
Family bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 6 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 2 of 5 analyzed roles.

Mentor
2 of 5
Ally
1 of 5
Trickster
1 of 5
Herald
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
3
Melancholic
4
Tense
2
Romantic
2
Absurd
1
Other
5

How their films linger

Bittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Pearl Bailey's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Pearl Bailey's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

20 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 26 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Satan Claus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Animal

  • Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty(2003)

    as Frankie (clip from Carmen Jones (1954))

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Actor

  • Peter Gunn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Mother

  • Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Martha Dermody

  • The Member of the Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Bernice Sadie Brown

  • Silver Spoons(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Lulu Baker

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • The Fox and the Hound(1981)

    as Big Mama (voice)

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Love Boat(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Millie Washington

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows

  • Norman... Is That You?(1976)

    as Beatrice Chambers

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Tubby the Tuba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Mrs. Elephant (voice)

  • The Landlord(1970)

    as Marge

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • All the Fine Young Cannibals(1960)

    as Ruby

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Porgy and Bess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Maria

  • St. Louis Blues(1958)

    as Aunt Hagar

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • That Certain Feeling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Gussie

  • Carmen Jones(1954)

    as Frankie

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Your Show of Shows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Isn't It Romantic(1948)

    as Addie

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Variety Girl(1947)

    as Pearl Bailey

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 84th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 19 titles from 1947 to 2010; peak year 1981.

Biggest box office

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

$63M worldwide

Highest rated

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Midcredits 89th

Film career

19472010

Peak 1981 · their film career is on the way up. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting19 of 19: 19 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score53rd

By decade

1940s2 · acting1950s5 · acting1960s1 · acting1970s4 · acting1980s5 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Pearl Bailey's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty (2003)

86th percentile spread · 20% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Midcredits 89th · 77% liked

Reviewers score the acting 59/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 34. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Pearl Bailey work with?

People who share at least 2 of Pearl Bailey's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dorothy Dandridge shares the most, 2.

Actors