'We had to eat whatever we could dig out of the ground': How Eartha Kitt rose from 'extreme poverty' to superstardomGetty Images(Credit: Getty Images)

With her sultry drawl and feline charisma, the singer and actor oozed sophistication. But Eartha Kitt, who was born on 17 January 1927, had the toughest of childhoods. In History looks at how she transcended her troubled beginnings to become a star of stage and screen – and the first black Catwoman.

Celebrated by Orson Welles as the "most exciting woman in the world", and smeared by the CIA as a "sadistic nymphomaniac", Eartha Kitt had an extraordinary life and career. After joining Katherine Dunham's pioneering African-American dance company, she was on Broadway by the age of 19, and went on to become a cabaret sensation in London and Paris. Her smouldering 1950s performances of songs such as Santa Baby, Just an Old-Fashioned Girl and I Want to be Evil have never been bettered. In 1967, she wowed mainstream television audiences as Catwoman in the third series of the camp classic Batman. Later, she won a new generation of fans as the villain Yzma in Disney's 2000 cartoon The Emperor's New Groove. She died on Christmas Day in 2008, aged 81.

Born Eartha Mae Keith on a South Carolina cotton plantation on 17 January 1927, she had a start in life that could hardly have been more difficult. She never knew her father, and her mother left her to be raised by various relatives. Speaking on BBC Wales' Late Call in 1971, she said: "I remember at times when we didn't have anything to eat for what seemed like an insurmountable amount of time. We had to rely on the forest and whatever we could dig out of the ground, such as weeds or a grass I remember that had a kind of onion growing at the bottom of it. And when we could find things like that to eat then we were alright."

'Even though I've tried to explain why my mother gave me away, it's difficult to accept'.

Describing her childhood self as an "urchin", she said: "I'm very glad that she will always be a part of me because she helps me do what she knows I have to do out there on that stage."

Despite being such a confident and poised performer, raw emotion was never far from the surface when Kitt was interviewed, as shown when Ronnie Williams, the host of Late Call, read her one of her quotes: "You said, 'My mother gave me away at the age of five, and if my mother gives me away, she doesn't want me. So why should anybody want me?'" Kitt replied that because of this abandonment, she had always lived with the feeling "that the most important person in the world didn't want you". She added: "I think there are many explanations I can make for my mother giving me away and I think that, even though I have tried to explain within myself as to why she gave me away, it's still very difficult for me to accept it."

They don't understand that I don't think of myself in terms of being a black person – Eartha Kitt

Decades later, Kitt's beloved daughter Kitt Shapiro revealed that the singer died without knowing the identity of her white father. She told the Observer in 2013 that her mother wept when she finally saw her birth certificate, only to discover that the man's name had been blanked out by officials to protect his reputation in the segregated American South.

Because of her mixed heritage, Kitt told Williams on Late Call that she was not accepted by the black community. She said: "They don't understand that I don't think of myself in terms of being a black person. I think of myself as being a person who belongs to everybody, but I think one should always feel this way. I think that, as long as you are feeling in terms of belonging only to one race, one nationality, one religion, that you have to be prejudiced… I am an illegitimate child, and at the same time I was not of completely black parentage. My father was supposedly a Caucasian, and my grandparents are Cherokee Indians. My mother was half black and all of this, and therefore my blood is of yours and of anybody's and therefore I've always thought of myself as this, and to be prejudiced against any of the other bloods is rather silly to me."

IN HISTORY

In History is a series which uses the BBC's unique audio and video archive to explore historical events that still resonate today. Subscribe to the accompanying weekly newsletter.

According to Kitt, her travels had convinced her that financial inequality was at the root of so much prejudice around the world: "When we are able to recognise that no matter what colour or religion you belong to, that you are capable of gaining as much as the next person can, no matter what race or religion he belongs to, I think the situation would be much healthier."

What Lady Bird heard

The singer and actor was being interviewed on BBC Wales to promote her week-long residency at the Double Diamond Club in Caerphilly, a scenic town near Cardiff. While the popular venue did in its time host big stars such as Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash, it was still a long way from Broadway.

In the US at that time, Kitt was cancelled. Her career had faltered following a White House luncheon in 1968 to discuss the causes of juvenile delinquency with Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of President Lyndon B Johnson. As protests against the Vietnam War raged across the US, Kitt's diagnosis of the problem's causes upset the genteel audience. She told the First Lady: "You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. They rebel in the street. They will take pot and they will get high. They don't want to go to school because they're going to be snatched off from their mothers to be shot in Vietnam."

I'm not an extrovert. I can tease as 'Eartha Kitt', but as Eartha Mae? Forget it – Eartha Kitt

In response, the CIA compiled a dossier on her. The New York Times revealed in 1975 that this extensive report contained "second‐hand gossip about the entertainer but no evidence of any foreign intelligence connections". Asked in later years about the notorious "nymphomaniac" claim reported to be contained in the document, Kitt was supremely dismissive: "What has that got to do with the CIA if I was?"

While her career back home was in the doldrums, she spent time in Britain touring provincial clubs. During one such residency at the distinctly unglamorous Batley Variety Club in West Yorkshire, a BBC reporter asked her how such a sophisticated celebrity could feel an affinity with local people there. She replied: "I wasn't born in such a different world. I came out of extreme poverty. I have acquired things, yes. The things have not acquired me."

WATCH: 'In the beginning, the enemies that I had mostly were black people'.

It wasn't until 1978, ten years after that White House incident, that Kitt made her triumphant Broadway return in the musical Timbuktu!. She remained a frequent visitor to Britain, often making outrageous appearances on television talk shows. Again, her vulnerability was never too far from the surface. In one spectacular 1989 BBC appearance, she began by resting her feet flirtatiously on the lap of host Terry Wogan. Just a few minutes later, she was confessing that her public persona was nothing like her private self.

She said: "Mr Wogan, you know something? I'm not an extrovert. I can tease as 'Eartha Kitt', but as Eartha Mae? Forget it. I'm hiding behind the bushes, behind the chairs, behind everything I could possibly find to hide behind, because I've never had that kind of security within Eartha Mae that makes me feel that she will ever be accepted."

More like this:

• How a child star saved a Hollywood studio

• Nina Simone on how fury fuelled her songs

• Toni Morrison on her mission to please black fans

Kitt's abiding loves were her fans and her daughter. Having been abandoned by her own mother, Kitt insisted on bringing her daughter with her all over the world. Her marriage to businessman Bill McDonald in 1960 lasted less than four years, and she never remarried. Asked by Wogan if she had been reluctant to let her guard down, she said: "A man has always wanted to lay me down, but he never wanted to pick me up."

She said that it was the love she received from adoring crowds that "makes me feel that I really am a worthwhile person". However, she also explained: "When I go back to the dressing room, I take off the makeup and I'm not 'Eartha Kitt' anymore, I'm Eartha Mae again."

--

If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news delivered to your inbox every Friday.  

For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram

In HistoryFilm industryHollywoodFeaturesWatchWashington DC's biggest myths and mysteries debunked

Robert Pohl, author and veteran tour guide, explains what's behind the US capital's most famous urban legends.

1 day agoThe Travel ShowHow technology can monitor and improve our health

BBC Click visits CES 2025 to find out about the latest health tech, from medical tools to well-being devices.

2 days agoInnovationMeet the world's first recipient of an AI-powered bionic arm

Sarah De Lagarde lost an arm and a leg after being hit by two trains in London. Now, she has an AI-powered arm.

2 days agoAI v the MindHow a performance lab is putting musicians to the test

 BBC Click visits a simulator lab that allows musicians to practice performance in real-world conditions.

2 days agoInnovationBank performance signals boost to US economy - 16 Jan 2025

Jason Betz from Ameriprise Financial says that there is untapped resilience in the American economy.

3 days agoOpening BellA mother tiger on a fierce hunt to feed her cubs

While her three offspring take a leisurely bath, this Bengal tiger mother must find food for the entire family.

3 days agoEarthWhy new habits are so hard to stick to

Dr Radha Modgil explains what's going on in our brains when we try to make or break habits.

4 days agoHumansUS shares open higher after new PPI reading - 14 Jan 2025

US shares opened higher after the Producer Price Index rose at a slower-than-expected pace in December.

5 days agoOpening BellTom Hiddleston busts out signature dance move

Tom Hiddleston gives a demo of his signature move, which he calls 'just keep swimming'.

5 days agoTheatreVisiting one of Europe's 'well preserved ancient cities'

The ancient city of Butrint is the first site in Albania to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

6 days agoAdventuresWhitney White on how Shakespeare still resonates today

Tony-nominated theatre maker Whitney White reimagines Shakespeare's plays by infusing them with gospel and rock.

6 days agoArts in MotionThe microbe that could protect humans from space radiation

'Conan the Bacterium' is the most radiation resistant bacteria in the world. Now, scientists know why.

8 days agoWorld of wonderUS stocks under pressure after jobs report - 10 Jan 2025

The latest healthy US jobs report adds more uncertainty about whether the Fed will cut its key interest rate.

10 Jan 2025Opening BellHow the iconic Indiana Jones became a video game

Troy Baker, one of the best-known video game actors, talks about his most iconic character yet, Indiana Jones.

10 Jan 2025InnovationAn eating habit that helps you maintain a healthy weight

How changing your eating habits can help you to maintain a healthy weight.

9 Jan 2025Health DecodedRami Malek loves a pub quiz

Rami Malek tells the BBC's Graham Norton that he's a big fan of British pub culture, especially a quiz night.

8 Jan 2025Film & TVMeta ending fact-checking 'a political play' - 8 Jan 2025

Expert says Meta's new policy to end third party fact-checking on its platforms is a political play.

8 Jan 2025Opening BellHow foxes outsmart world's heaviest raptor in quest for food

Watch red foxes challenge the Steller's sea eagle, the world's heaviest raptor, as they search for food in Japan.

8 Jan 2025EarthAmerica's last Revolutionaries: Rare photos of US patriots

How a dwindling group of veterans from the American War of Independence were featured in early photographic form.

7 Jan 2025HistoryReport says Trump plans less aggressive tariffs - 6 Jan 2025

President-elect Donald Trump has called reports that he could adopt pared-back tariffs as 'fake news'.

6 Jan 2025Opening BellMore15 hrs agoA prime minister's guide to Greenland

Greenlandic politician and Inuit educator Aleqa Hammond shares her top ways to experience the country, from sampling Greenlandic cuisine to viewing the Northern Lights in Ilulissat.

15 hrs agoTravel22 hrs ago'Sadbait': Why we love depressing content online

People say they don't want to be sad, but their online habits disagree. Content that channels sorrow for views has become a ubiquitous part of online culture. Why does it work?

22 hrs agoFuture2 days agoThe secret to making a Hollywood comeback

From John Travolta to Demi Moore, how faded stars have revitalised their careers with one breathtaking performance.

2 days agoCulture2 days agoBarcelona's urgent search for water after floods

As climate change makes rainfall more intense and infrequent, Catalan authorities are battling to provide security and drinking water to millions.

2 days agoFuture2 days agoTrump names Gibson, Stallone and Voight Hollywood ambassadors

The president-elect says the envoys will bring foreign business back to Hollywood but it's unclear what their roles will involve.

2 days agoUS & Canada