Dona Drake

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. Dona Drake passed away on June 20, 1989, due to pneumonia and respiratory failure. Her ashes were scattered at sea near Point Fermin in California.

Known For: Acting

Born: Miami, Florida, USA, 1914-11-15

Died: 1989-06-20

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1936	Strike Me Pink	Mademoiselle Fifi	66
2	1938	Sweet Shoe	Rita Rio	0
3	1939	Rita Rio and Her Orchestra	Rita Rio	40
4	1941	Feed the Kitty	Self / Singer (as Rita Rio)	0
5	1941	Pan-Americonga	Rita Rio	0
6	1941	I Look at You	Herself	75
7	1941	Aloma of the South Seas	Nea	63
8	1941	Louisiana Purchase	Beatrice	66
9	1942	Star Spangled Rhythm	Dona Drake	59
10	1942	Road to Morocco	Mihirmah	69
11	1943	Sticks and Stones		0
12	1943	Salute for Three		0
13	1943	Let's Face It	Muriel	45
14	1944	Hot Rhythm	Mary Adams	47
15	1945	Hollywood Victory Caravan	Dona Drake	52
16	1946	Without Reservations	Dolores Ortega	62
17	1946	Dangerous Millions	Elena Valdez	48
18	1948	Another Part of the Forest	Laurette Sincee	76
19	1948	So This Is New York	Kate Goff	60
20	1949	The Doolins of Oklahoma	Cattle Annie	68
21	1949	The Girl from Jones Beach	Connie Martin	54
22	1949	Beyond the Forest	Jenny	68
23	1950	Fortunes of Captain Blood	Pepita	71
24	1951	Valentino	Maria Torres	43
25	1952	Kansas City Confidential	Teresa	71
26	1953	The Bandits of Corsica	Zelda	58
27	1953	Son of Belle Starr	Dolores	0
28	1953	Down Laredo Way	Narita	0
29	1954	Princess of the Nile	Mirva	71

No.

Year

Title

Role

Vote Average

1936