ABOUT FREDI WASHINGTON
She became one of the first African-American film actresses to gain recognition for her work.
She helped raise her younger siblings with her grandmother after her mother passed away.
She had some early work as a dancer in Broadway shows.
She was married twice, first to a trombonist and second to a dentist. She had no children.
She dated Duke Ellington before getting married to the trombonist in his jazz orchestra.
