Mildred Boyd

Biography

Gorgeous and reserved actress and dancer Mildred Boyd had a three decade movie career, starting in the 1920s in silents to the 1950s she graced the screen with her modest but illuminating, youthful presence whether in bit parts or dancing parts. Mildred Boyd is another unsung black performer and actress who goes uncredited in the history of entertainment and movie history, though she has contributed her talent and beauty to many films, some where she had gone uncredited, her warm presence was always a contribution to any film. Mildred was born in Tennessee and came to Los Angeles, California either during her teens or early 20s where she became a chorus girl at one of the premier black nightclubs on the West Coast, The Sebastian's Cotton Club, where she danced for many years and on the side she did movie work. Like girls of all races, pretty Mildred wanted to be in pictures, with the few roles offered to blacks being that of maids, Mildred played maid roles but played those roles with dignity, offering other admirable characteristics to the roles like her beauty, charm, and refinement, not only did she play maid roles, she contributed her dancing talents to Hollywood films that had black musical numbers and she danced as well in L.A. Black Cinema/Race films that had musical numbers and also doubled as an extra in those films. In some of the race films Mildred got a chance to really act where she proved herself a classy, demure actress without the maid costume. In the mid-1940s, she performed in quite a few soundies, she also starred in a soundie dancing with another female partner titled "Mildred and Bow" where Mildred showed her boogie talent. There were a few Hollywood films, such as "I Love a Bandleader" and film noir classic "Out of the Past" where Mildred got a chance to come out of the maid roles and give impressive performances as a true actress playing someone from all walks of life. In the 1950s, Mildred retired from show business and along with it overlooked and forgotten in the field of entertainment, Golden Era Cinema, and black entertainment history.