"Known for slipping into the shiny, skin-tight Catwoman suit on the 1960s television show Batman, for her role of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz theatre productions, for voicing the devilish Yzma in The Emperor's New Groove, for her sultry performances of songs like ""Santa Baby"" and ""I Want to Be Evil,"" and for her earnest, reputation-destroying opposition to the Vietnam War, Eartha Kitt has developed an image as one of the most intriguing, sexy and beloved bad girls of all time.The prevailing storyline about Eartha's real mother and father- though little is known for certain- seems to be that her father was the rapist son of a plantation owner and her mother one of his poor African American-Native American servants. Both disappeared from Eartha's life early on. She lived with her aunt in Harlem, taking music and dance lessons until high school, when she was thrown out of the house. Kitt auditioned for a spot in a prestigious dance school and received a scholarship to attend. Kitt landed her first big break when she filled in as a singer for a cabaret show, got noticed and was hired to work a regular gig in Paris. Her reputation grew exponentially while touring and singing around Europe, and eventually she landed major roles in theatrical productions- even Broadway. She also began recording traditional pop and show tune-style albums, the most successful of which were RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt and That Bad Eartha, both released in 1953. That same year, she recorded ""Santa Baby,"" a voluptuous, comedic novelty Christmas song that has become one of the most famous holiday tunes of all time, as well as her signature hit.When Eartha Kitt was invited to a White House dinner to discuss the youth of America in 1968, she didn't hold back. According to some reports, Catwoman brought Lady Bird Johnson, the First Lady of President Lyndon Johnson, to tears after her honest rebuke of the Vietnam War, which turned out to be one of the first major examples of an American public figure speaking out in opposition to the conflict. Consequently, Eartha was snubbed in the States. As such, she went on to tour for decades across the globe, especially in Europe."
