Ethel Waters

Ethel Waters was a gospel blues and jazz singer and dramatic actress. One of her best known recordings was her powerful version of the spiritual "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." Waters was the second African American, to be nominated for an Academy Award. She was also the first African-American woman to be nominated for an Emmy Award, in 1962. Ethel Waters was the first African-American woman to star in her own TV show. Three recordings by Waters were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. One is listed in was listed in the National Recording Registry. She is in Christian Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and on the 29-cents commemorative stamp. She starred in countless films and Broadway plays. In her private life, Waters was known to have romantic relationships with women as well as men. She kept her lesbian relationship with dancer Ethel Williams private, even ensuring that biographies didn't mention they lived together.

Waters was approved for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004. However, as of 2014, the star has not yet been funded.