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.
DIRECTOR
CAST
Diana Ross
Billie Holiday
Billy Dee Williams
Louis McKay
Richard Pryor
Piano Man
James T. Callahan
Reg Hanley
Nominated for 5 Oscars
Language
Production
Companies
Countries
Box Office
Budget
$2,000,000
Revenue
$19,726,490
More Info
Keywords
biography
based on memoir or autobiography
withdrawal
blues music
harlem, new york city
1940s
1930s
somber
desperate
cautionary
disheartening
powerful
new york city
brothel
jazz singer or musician
mental breakdown
addiction
rape victim
tour bus
racism
period drama
drug overdose
music history
lynching
dying young
black singer
heroin addict
nightclub singer
billie holiday
carnegie hall
rise to fame
wayward girl
death of a musician
music tour
following one's dream
former prostitute
period film
straight jacket
black woman
cultural icon
woman's story
woman musician
deep south racism
kkk rally
