Anita Thompson Dickinson Reynolds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anita Thompson Dickinson Reynolds
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Anita Reynolds, at 16, on the cover of the N.A.A.C.P. magazine
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| Born |
Anita Beatrice Thompson
1901 |
| Died | 1980 (aged 78–79) |
| Occupation | Model, dancer, actress |
| Years active | 1920s-1980 |
Anita Thompson Dickinson Reynolds (1901–1980) was an African American model, dancer, and actress. She was one of the first African-American stars in silent films.
Contents
About Anita Reynolds
Early Life and Family
Anita Thompson was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 28, 1901. She came from a middle-class African-American family that was very involved in politics and social issues.
She grew up in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Beatrice Thompson, was active in the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). This organization works for the rights of African Americans. Her mother even served as the president of their local NAACP chapter.
Anita's father, Samuel Thompson, worked as a Pullman porter (a person who served passengers on luxury trains) and also sold jewelry. Her uncle was Noah Thompson.
Talent and Famous Friends
Anita trained as a dancer and performed with famous dancer Rudolph Valentino. She was also a cousin of the well-known writer Langston Hughes. Many important people visited her family's home in Los Angeles, including civil rights leaders like Booker T. Washington, A. Philip Randolph, and W. E. B. Du Bois.
Anita's Career
Silent Film Star
Anita Reynolds is known as one of the first Black stars in silent films. These were movies made without sound, where actors used their expressions and body language to tell the story.
In the early 1920s, in Hollywood, she studied dance with Ruth St. Denis. She played an Arab servant girl in the 1924 film The Thief of Bagdad.
She also starred in By Right of Birth in 1921. This was one of the earliest films made by Black filmmakers. It was about a Black girl whose adoptive white parents kept her racial background a secret.
Modeling and Fashion
After acting, Anita Reynolds became involved in international art and fashion. She started a career in modeling. In the early 1930s, she lived for a time near Tangier in Morocco.
In the 1930s, she modeled clothes for the very famous French fashion designer Coco Chanel.
Later Life and Memoirs
Working in Europe and America
Anita worked as a nurse in France during the years between World War I and World War II. She left France right after the Nazi occupation began.
When she returned to the United States, she studied to become a psychologist, a professional who studies the mind and behavior. She also worked as a teacher and an art instructor.
Her Story in a Book
Anita Reynolds wrote her life story in a book called “American Cocktail: A ‘Colored Girl’ in the World.” This book was published by Harvard University Press in 2014. It was based on notes from interviews with Howard Miller and edited by professor George B. Hutchinson.
She was married twice. Her first marriage was in France and Morocco to an Englishman named Dwight Lloyd Dickinson. Later, she married Guy Oliver Reynolds in St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands.
Anita Reynolds had an appearance that allowed her to move more easily in Hollywood during the 1920s to 1940s. At that time, Hollywood was very segregated. She never denied her racial identity. She was sometimes seen by others as American Indian, East Indian, or other backgrounds. She called herself an "American Cocktail."
Anita traveled easily between different social groups. She spent time in the artistic areas of Greenwich Village and the lively clubs of Harlem in New York City. She seemed to meet many important people wherever she went. She also moved to Paris and then to an area in Morocco where many artists lived. Along the way, she met famous people like James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Claude McKay, Paul Bowles, Gertrude Stein, E. E. Cummings, Picasso, and Coco Chanel.
Anita Reynolds passed away in 1980 in St. Croix.
