
Dona Drake (born Eunice Westmoreland on November 15, 1914) was an African-American singer, dancer, and film actress active in the 1930s and 1940s. Despite her heritage, she often identified as Mexican or of Latin descent to navigate Hollywood’s racial landscape. Over her career, she was frequently cast in ethnic roles, portraying Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and European characters.
She performed under various stage names, including Una Novella, Rita Novella, and Rita Rio. In the early 1940s, she led an all-girl orchestra and gained recognition for her musical and dance performances. She appeared in films such as Kansas City Confidential (1952), Louisiana Purchase (1941), and Road to Morocco (1942). Despite her talents, she remained a supporting actress rather than a leading star.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Credits and photos from TMDB.
The titles people know Dona from.
IMDb rating of each title on Cineora, by year.
as Mirva

1 episode

as Narita

as Dolores

as Zelda
as Teresa
1 episode

as Maria Torres
as Jenny

as Connie Martin
as Cattle Annie

as Kate Goff
as Laurette Sincee

as Elena Valdez
as Dolores Ortega
as Dona Drake

as Rita Rio
as Rita Rio

as Mademoiselle Fifi
The people who keep turning up in Dona’s titles.





