Fredi Washington(1903-1994)

For better or worse, she was stereotyped as the "tragic mulatto", never better than as Peola, the light-skinned daughter of Louise Beavers in Imitation of Life (1934) who tries to pass for white. So realistic was her portrayal that many filmgoers thought she was antiblack in real life.

[when asked why she didn't try to "pass" for white] Because I'm honest and because you don't have to be white to be good.