Dona Drake
Date of birth: 1914-11-15
Place of birth: Miami, Florida, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Eunice Westmoreland, Una Novella, Rita Novella, Rita Rio
Biography
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.
Movie Credits
Kansas City Confidential
1952-11-11
An ex-convict sets out to uncover who framed him for an armored car robbery.
Fortunes of Captain Blood
1950-05-19
When he unwittingly sends some of his men into a trap, pirate Captain Peter Blood decides to rescue
Beyond the Forest
1949-10-21
Rosa, the self-serving wife of a small-town doctor, gets a better offer when a wealthy big-city man
Sweet Shoe
1938-01-04
Dona Drake (as Rita Rio) and her all-girl band work in a ritzy setting, and perform some hot melodie
Louisiana Purchase
1941-12-31
A bumbling senator investigating graft in Louisiana is the target of a scheme involving a Viennese b
So This Is New York
1948-06-01
A small town man inherits a significant fortune and takes his family to New York City whereupon they
Star Spangled Rhythm
1942-03-05
Pop, a security guard at Paramount has told his son that he's the head of the studio. When his son a
The Bandits of Corsica
1953-02-27
Siamese twins separated at birth retain a psychic link; each feels the other's pain and happiness.
The Girl from Jones Beach
1949-07-16
Glamour artist Bob Randolph is world famous for his paintings of a stunning beauty dubbed "The Rando
The Doolins of Oklahoma
1949-05-27
When the Daltons are killed at Coffeyville, gang member Bill Doolin, arriving late, escapes but kill
Princess of the Nile
1954-07-01
Shalimar, an Egyptian princess, striving to rid her country of its Bedouin conquerors, forms an alli
Aloma of the South Seas
1941-08-27
A young South Seas native boy is sent to the U.S. for his education and returns to his island after
Feed the Kitty
1941-01-01
A Soundie with Dona Drake.
Pan-Americonga
1941-02-16
A Soundie featuring Rita Rio with Allan Baldwin and Theodore.
Down Laredo Way
1953-08-05
Rex Allen against diamond smugglers down Laredo way
Valentino
1951-03-08
Italian immigrant Rudolph Valentino makes it big in silent Hollywood, but he ends up struggling betw
Hot Rhythm
1944-04-22
Jimmy O'Brien (Robert Lowery)and Sammy Rubin (Sidney Miller), write jingle commercials for radio, an
Strike Me Pink
1936-01-24
Meek Eddie Pink becomes manager of an amusement park beset by mobsters.
Without Reservations
1946-05-13
Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the train
Let's Face It
1943-08-04
A soldier stationed on an army base and his fiancé, who runs a women's "fat farm" nearby, want to ge
I Look at You
1941-02-20
Alan Ladd was discovered by Sue Carol for his incredible voice in radio. And then she married him. I
Hollywood Victory Caravan
1945-09-30
A girl is desperate to get to Washington D.C. to be with her lonesome brother, a wounded G.I. She pe
Son of Belle Starr
1953-06-26
The son of the notorious female bandit Belle Starr wants to live an honest life, but finds himself g
Rita Rio and Her Orchestra
1939-07-01
Her doctor thinks Rita Rio is crazy for loving music too much, but she proves him wrong by becoming
Sticks and Stones
1943-01-25
Dona Drake sings "Sticks and Stones".
Road to Morocco
1942-11-10
Two carefree castaways on a desert shore find an Arabian Nights city, where they compete for the lus
Another Part of the Forest
1948-05-18
This 'prequel' to The Little Foxes tells how the ruthless members of the old-South Hubbard family go
Dangerous Millions
1946-11-27
Eight strangers meet in Shanghai to stake claims to the fortune of a late shipping magnate, then mus
Salute for Three
1943-03-17
Press agent Jimmy Gates gets an idea while watching a New York parade, for a returned war hero Serge