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 |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 1.3624 |
| Birthday | 1914-11-15 |
| Place of Birth | Miami, Florida, USA |
| Also Known As | Eunice Westmoreland, Una Novella, Rita Novella, Rita Rio, |
1952
Kansas City Confidential
7.08/143
An ex-convict sets out to uncover who framed him for an armored car robbery.
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Kansas City Confidential
1950
Fortunes of Captain Blood
7.3/5
When he unwittingly sends some of his men into a trap, pirate Captain Peter Blood decides to rescue them. They've been taken prisoner by the Spanish M...
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Fortunes of Captain Blood
1949
Beyond the Forest
6.713/54
Rosa, the self-serving wife of a small-town doctor, gets a better offer when a wealthy big-city man insists she get a divorce and marry him instead. S...
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Beyond the Forest
1938
Sweet Shoe
0/0
Dona Drake (as Rita Rio) and her all-girl band work in a ritzy setting, and perform some hot melodies, with Rita singing and dancing. Several feature...
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Sweet Shoe
1941
Louisiana Purchase
6.667/12
A bumbling senator investigating graft in Louisiana is the target of a scheme involving a Viennese beauty.
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Louisiana Purchase
1948
So This Is New York
6.667/6
A small town man inherits a significant fortune and takes his family to New York City whereupon they are continually shocked at the alien culture of t...
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So This Is New York
1942
Star Spangled Rhythm
6.182/11
Pop, a security guard at Paramount has told his son that he's the head of the studio. When his son arrives in Hollywood on shore leave with his buddie...
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Star Spangled Rhythm
1953
The Bandits of Corsica
6.375/4
Siamese twins separated at birth retain a psychic link; each feels the other's pain and happiness.
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The Bandits of Corsica
1949
The Girl from Jones Beach
5.5/7
Glamour artist Bob Randolph is world famous for his paintings of a stunning beauty dubbed "The Randolph Girl". What the world doesn't know is that his...
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The Girl from Jones Beach
1949
The Doolins of Oklahoma
6.773/11
When the Daltons are killed at Coffeyville, gang member Bill Doolin, arriving late, escapes but kills a man. Now wanted for murder, he becomes the lea...
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The Doolins of Oklahoma
1954
Princess of the Nile
7.3/10
Shalimar, an Egyptian princess, striving to rid her country of its Bedouin conquerors, forms an alliance with Prince Haidi, son of the Caliph of Bagda...
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Princess of the Nile
1941
Aloma of the South Seas
7/5
A young South Seas native boy is sent to the U.S. for his education and returns to his island after his father dies to try to stop a revolution.
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Aloma of the South Seas
1941
Feed the Kitty
0/0
A Soundie with Dona Drake.
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Feed the Kitty
1941
Pan-Americonga
0/0
A Soundie featuring Rita Rio with Allan Baldwin and Theodore.
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Pan-Americonga
1953
Down Laredo Way
7/1
Rex Allen against diamond smugglers down Laredo way
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Down Laredo Way
1951
Valentino
4.333/9
Italian immigrant Rudolph Valentino makes it big in silent Hollywood, but he ends up struggling between his career and the woman he loves.
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Valentino
1944
Hot Rhythm
5.5/4
Jimmy O'Brien (Robert Lowery)and Sammy Rubin (Sidney Miller), write jingle commercials for radio, and meet Mary Adams (Dona Drake), who wants to break...
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Hot Rhythm
1936
Strike Me Pink
6.625/8
Meek Eddie Pink becomes manager of an amusement park beset by mobsters.
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Strike Me Pink
1946
Without Reservations
6.2/20
Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train, she encounters Marines Rusty and Dink, who don't...
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Without Reservations
1943
Let's Face It
5.4/5
A soldier stationed on an army base and his fiancé, who runs a women's "fat farm" nearby, want to get married but don't have enough money. Three custo...
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Let's Face It
1941
I Look at You
8.333/3
Alan Ladd was discovered by Sue Carol for his incredible voice in radio. And then she married him. In I Look At You, he is sweet and graceful. And at...
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I Look at You
1945
Hollywood Victory Caravan
5.6/10
A girl is desperate to get to Washington D.C. to be with her lonesome brother, a wounded G.I. She persuades Bing Crosby to let her join his caravan.
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Hollywood Victory Caravan
1953
Son of Belle Starr
7/1
The son of the notorious female bandit Belle Starr wants to live an honest life, but finds himself getting drawn into his mother's old profession.
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Son of Belle Starr
1939
Rita Rio and Her Orchestra
4/3
Her doctor thinks Rita Rio is crazy for loving music too much, but she proves him wrong by becoming a successful bandleader.
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Rita Rio and Her Orchestra
1943
Sticks and Stones
0/0
Dona Drake sings "Sticks and Stones".
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Sticks and Stones
1942
Road to Morocco
6.9/82
Two carefree castaways on a desert shore find an Arabian Nights city, where they compete for the luscious Princess Shalmar.
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Road to Morocco
1948
Another Part of the Forest
7.75/12
This 'prequel' to The Little Foxes tells how the ruthless members of the old-South Hubbard family got that way.
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Another Part of the Forest
1946
Dangerous Millions
5.4/5
Eight strangers meet in Shanghai to stake claims to the fortune of a late shipping magnate, then must evade a murderer in their midst.
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Dangerous Millions
1943
Salute for Three
9/1
Press agent Jimmy Gates gets an idea while watching a New York parade, for a returned war hero Sergeant Buzz McAllister, with his chief client, singer...
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