Vintage Black Glamour

Rosalind Cash. She was so determined to avoid stereotypical roles, she took jobs as a waitress, a salesgirl and even a nightclub singer in the early days of her career.  Later generations would recognize her from “A Different World,” and “General Hospital,” but she was also a stellar theater actress and an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company. Her films included “Klute,” “The Omega Man,”  ”Cornbread, Earl and Me,” “Uptown Saturday Night,” and many others. On television, she appeared in an adapation of James Baldwin’s “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” Melvin Van Peebles’ “Sophisticated Gents,” and Maya Angelou’s, “Sister, Sister” with Diahann Carroll and Irene Cara. 

Donald Bogle said it best: 

Seldom in Hollywood’s history was a black woman so repeatedly wasted, so thoroughly trashed by the industry.  And the roles this gifted woman found herself playing often revealed Hollywood’s basic contempt for the talented, not-easily-typed black actress.  In a way, though, the roles, coupled with Cash’s high-strung artistry, created a persona for her.  As with Gloria Foster, perceptive audiences sat watching Rosalind Cash, using her as a symbol of their own broken promises and unfulfilled dreams.

Born in Atlantic City, NJ, Ms. Cash died of cancer at age 56 in 1995.