Lady Sings the Blues

6.899

144 minutes

10/12/1972

Overview

Chronicles the rise and fall of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday, beginning with her traumatic youth. The story depicts her early attempts at a singing career and her eventual rise to stardom, as well as her difficult relationship with Louis McKay, her boyfriend and manager. Casting a shadow over even Holiday's brightest moments is the vocalist's severe drug addiction, which threatens to end both her career and her life.

Cast List

Diana Ross
as Billie Holiday
Billy Dee Williams
as Louis McKay
Richard Pryor
as Piano Man
James T. Callahan
as Reg Hanley
Paul Hampton
as Harry
Sid Melton
as Jerry
Virginia Capers
as Mama Holiday
Yvonne Fair
as Yvonne
Isabel Sanford
as The Madame
Tracee Lyles
as The Prostitute
Ned Glass
as The Agent
Milton Selzer
as The Doctor
Norman Bartold
as The Detective #1
Clay Tanner
as The Detective #2
Jester Hairston
as The Butler
Bert Kramer
as The Policeman
Paul Micale
as The Maitre d'
Michele Aller
as The Singer
Byron Kane
as The Announcer
Barbara Minkus
as Radio Actress
Kay Lewis
as Angela DeMarco
Helen Lewis
as Debbie McGee
George Wyner
as The M.C.
Shirley Melline
as The Policewoman
Toby Russ
as The Jail Guard
Larry Duran
as Hood #1
Ernest Robinson
as Hood #2
Don McGovern
as Reporter #1
Dick Poston
as Reporter #2
Charles Woolf
as Reporter #3
Denise Denise
as Denise
Lynn Hamilton
as Aunt Ida
Victor Morosco
as Vic
Robert L. Gordy
as The Hawk
Harry Caesar
as The Rapist
Paulene Myers
as Mrs. Edson
Scatman Crothers
as Big Ben