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Whitney Houston (1963-2012) |
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- Sheryl Lee Ralph, Oliver & Company, 1987. The elegant Whitney was on the short list to voice Rita, the Afghan hound. Also elegant.
- Sabrina Le Beauf, The Cosby Show, 1985-92. Came thisclose to becoming Bill Cosby daughter, Sondra Huxtable. Sabrina had more acting experience.
- Lindsay Wagner, Richochet, 1991. By Die Hard (script) out of Lethal Weapon (producer), the thriller was due as her debut opposite Denzel Washington in his first action role. TV's (first) Bionic Woman took it on. Five years later, Whitney joined Denzel in his production of The Preacher's Wife,
- Robin Givens, Boomerang, 1993. Once being developed for Eddie Murphy, then for his pal, Arsenio Hall, opposite Whitney and finally for Eddie again with Mike Tyson's ex.
- Angela Bassett, What's Love Got To Do With It, 1993. Finalists for Tina Turner to choose from for her biopic were Bassett, Halle Berry, Robin Givens, Pam Grier, Whitney Houston (a crazy idea, but pregnant), Janet Jackson (crazier), Jennifer Lewis (who finished up playing Tina’s Mama) and Vanessa L Williams. Tina voted for Angela after seeing her sing Proud Mary . Even then, Angela submitted herself to intense work with dancing, dialect and physical training coaches. Tina sang the songs. Of course. And Halle enacted Dorothy Dandridge’s life in...
- Halle Berry, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, TV, 1999. “Our Marilyn Monroe” is how Lena Horne called her... Houston was among the many black actresses and singers (Jasmine Guy, Janet Jackson, Jayne Kennedy, Vanessa Williams) who cited Dorothy’s influence on them - and wanted to film her life. Berry beat them, all to the rights of the bio by Dandridge manager Earl Mills. In 1955, Dorothy was the first black nominated for a Best Actress Oscar; in 2002, Halle went one better than her idol, becoming the first black Best Actress Oscar-winner... and dedicated the moment to Dorothy, Lena Horne and Diahann Carroll.
- Patricia Kaas, And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen, France, 2001. And Dustin Hoffman became Jeremy Irons.
- Beyoncé Knowles, Dreamgirls, 2006. From way back when Whitney was the Beyoncé of her day.
- Jada Pinkett Smith, The Women, 2007. After 15 years trying to make her version of MGM’s 1938 magic, the fizz had left the bubbly for the TV Murphy Brown creator Diane English. Well, few among her cast(s) could match Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell. Houston missed nothing, the lesbian supermodel was a token black walk-on.
- Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born, 2017.
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