Spoiler : Born in Keyport, New Jersey 11/6/1901; died 2/28/1968 from complications of diabetes in Bay Shore, New York. African-American actress/singer. Age eleven Hall heard Bessie Smith sing, and the Smith style of Blues singing remained her preference for her own style of singing. Screen debut in Green Pastures (1936). Last movie was Flower Drum Song (1961). Regular performer on Captain Billy's Mississippi Music Hall for CBS-TV (1948). Ruby Valentine on the CBS-Radio soap, The Story of Ruby Valentine (1955-1956).