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Hilda Simms

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Actress

The Resume

    (April 15, 1918-February 6, 1994)
    Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Birth name was Hilda Moses
    Starred on Broadway in the title role of the American Negro Theater production of ‘Anna Lucasta’ (1944-46)
    Appeared in the films ‘The Joe Louis Story’ (1953) and ‘Black Widow’ (1954)
    Recurring role in the TV series ‘The Nurses’ (1962-64)

Why she might be annoying:

    Her marriage to William Simms broke up in less than a year.
    Her devoutly Catholic mother refused to see her in ‘Anna Lucasta’ because she portrayed a prostitute.
    She noted about producers’ reluctance to cast her, ‘I don’t look typically Negro enough. I’ve heard this line for the 1,000th time.’

Why she might not be annoying:

    At the American Negro Theater, in addition to acting, she was in charge of props, sound effects and publicity.
    ’Ebony’ named her one the five most beautiful black women in the world (1954).
    Her acting career was cut short when she was blacklisted in the mid-1950s over her support for civil rights.
    The Justice Department revoked her passport and barred her from a USO tour of Europe (1955), even though she had entertained the troops and gone on War Bond tours during WWII.
    She served as Creative Arts Director for the New York State Human Rights Convention.
    She worked in drug treatment programs in New York City.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 90.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying