Acquanetta(1921-2004)

Born as Mildred Davenport, Acquanetta was a movie actress of genre motion pictures. She was nicknamed the "Venezualan Volcano" by Universal Studios, although she doesn't appear to have been from that country. At one point, when asked for paperwork related to her birth, she said she was half Arapaho Native American. This also may be where the idea that she was born in Wyoming came from. Census records suggest that she was born in Pennsylvania as part of the Davenport family there. It's also likely that she was a light-skinned African American woman passing as white in an era when having black ancestry would severely hinder a career in movies. She was often seen in her trademark long black braids and beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry. She starred in Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946) and also also had roles in Arabian Nights (1942), Jungle Woman (1944), Dead Man's Eyes (1944), Lost Continent (1951) and The Legend of Grizzly Adams (1990). In the 1950s, Acquanetta moved to Phoenix and married the owner of a local car dealership. She achieved local celebrity status when she appeared in numerous ads for her husband's business. She also was the host of her own TV program, "Acqua's Corner," that played movies. Acquanetta also authored a book in 1974 called "The Audible Silence," a compilation of poems about life, love, and Indian jewelry. She used her celebrity and charming personality to support/raise money for a number of cultural groups and charities including Mesa Lutheran Hospital, the Heard Museum, the Phoenix Indian School, Stagebrush Theatre, and the Phoenix Symphony. She passed away of Alzheimer's complications in Ahwatukee, Arizona, on August 16, 2004, at the age of 83. She left behind four sons: Jack Ross Jr., 45; Lance Ross, 50; Tom Ross, 47; and Rex Ross, 43. She was also survived by her brother, Horace Davenport, 85, a retired Pennsylvania judge.