Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Marie Bryant(1917-1978)

  • Actress
  • Choreography
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Marie Bryant
Marie Bryant was one of the most popular Black exotic dancers of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Her sexy dancing had lots of culture and class with wowing costumes to top it. Films such as The Duke Is Tops (1938) and Gang War (1940) are the films that featured her dancing a sexy African dance. When her dancing career ended, she started a successful singing career appearing in many movies featuring her marvelous voice. She has many films which are available to her credit showcasing her multi-talents, she's one of the greats of Black Entertainment.
BornNovember 6, 1917
DiedMay 23, 1978(60)
BornNovember 6, 1917
DiedMay 23, 1978(60)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos1

View Poster

Known for

Howard Da Silva, Farley Granger, and Cathy O'Donnell in They Live by Night (1948)
They Live by Night
7.4
  • Singer
  • 1948
Lena Horne in The Duke Is Tops (1938)
The Duke Is Tops
5.4
  • Specialty Act
  • 1938
Cross-Up (1954)
Cross-Up
5.8
  • Singer
  • 1954
Betty Grable in Wabash Avenue (1950)
Wabash Avenue
6.1
  • Elsa
  • 1950

Credits

IMDbPro

Actress

  • Basin Street Revue (1956)
    Basin Street Revue
    6.8
    • Dancer with Cab Calloway (uncredited)
    • 1956
  • The Gilded Cage (1955)
    The Gilded Cage
    5.2
    • Dancer
    • 1955
  • Cross-Up (1954)
    Cross-Up
    5.8
    • Singer
    • 1954
  • The Return of Gilbert & Sullivan
    8.2
    Short
    • 1952
  • Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Bruce Cabot, Edmund L. Hartmann, Jack Kirkwood, George Marshall, Robert O'Brien, Robert L. Welch, and Harry Leon Wilson in Fancy Pants (1950)
    Fancy Pants
    6.4
    • Dance Team Member (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • Betty Grable in Wabash Avenue (1950)
    Wabash Avenue
    6.1
    • Elsa
    • 1950
  • Howard Da Silva, Farley Granger, and Cathy O'Donnell in They Live by Night (1948)
    They Live by Night
    7.4
    • Singer
    • 1948
  • Lucille Ball in Ziegfeld Follies (1945)
    Ziegfeld Follies
    6.4
    • Woman Getting Her Man Taken (segment "Love", uncredited)
    • 1945
  • Harry Babbitt, M.A. Bogue, Kay Kyser, Sully Mason, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, and Kay Kyser Band in Carolina Blues (1944)
    Carolina Blues
    5.9
    • Dancer in 'Mr. Beebe' (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Robert Mitchum, Kim Hunter, Neil Hamilton, and Dean Jagger in When Strangers Marry (1944)
    When Strangers Marry
    6.5
    • Dancer in Big Jims (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Broadway Rhythm (1944)
    Broadway Rhythm
    5.9
    • Dancer in 'Brazilian Boogie' (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Gang War (1940)
    Gang War
    5.1
    • Dance Specialty (uncredited)
    • 1940
  • Lena Horne in The Duke Is Tops (1938)
    The Duke Is Tops
    5.4
    • Specialty Act
    • 1938

Choreography

  • Bing Crosby and the Sounds of Christmas (1971)
    Bing Crosby and the Sounds of Christmas
    7.7
    TV Movie
    • assistant choreographer
    • 1971
  • The Pearl Bailey Show (1971)
    The Pearl Bailey Show
    5.6
    TV Series
    • assistant choreographer
    • 1971
  • Nat 'King' Cole in The Nat King Cole Show (1956)
    The Nat King Cole Show
    8.4
    TV Series
    • choreographer
    • 1957
  • David Niven and Joan Caulfield in The Lady Says No (1951)
    The Lady Says No
    5.2
    • choreographer
    • 1951
  • Eddie Albert, Betty Grable, and Macdonald Carey in Meet Me After the Show (1951)
    Meet Me After the Show
    6.1
    • assistant dance director (uncredited)
    • 1951

Soundtrack

  • Cross-Up (1954)
    Cross-Up
    5.8
    • performer: "I Know Love"
    • 1954
  • Howard Da Silva, Farley Granger, and Cathy O'Donnell in They Live by Night (1948)
    They Live by Night
    7.4
    • performer: "Your Red Wagon"
    • 1948
  • Harry Babbitt, M.A. Bogue, Kay Kyser, Sully Mason, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, and Kay Kyser Band in Carolina Blues (1944)
    Carolina Blues
    5.9
    • performer: "Mr. Beebe"
    • 1944
  • Lester Young in Jammin' the Blues (1944)
    Jammin' the Blues
    8.0
    Short
    • performer: "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (1930), "Jammin' the Blues" (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Bli-Bip (1942)
    Bli-Bip
    7.2
    Short
    • performer: "Bli-Blip"
    • 1942

Personal details

  • Born
    • November 6, 1917
    • Meridian, Mississippi, USA
  • Died
    • May 23, 1978
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(cancer)
  • Spouse
    • John Rajakumar? - 1965 (his death)

Did you know

  • Trivia
    An associate of Lena Horne who met on the set of The Duke Is Tops (1938) which featured both of them and were each other's first film.

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

You have no recently viewed pages
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.