Discover How Eartha Kitt Aced Timeless Glamour in These 15 Style Moments

She was known for her bold personality, her role as Catwoman in the television show Batman, her sultry voice and career as a nightclub singer in Paris, and her memorable role in the film Anna Lucasta, which garnered her an Academy Award nomination. Eartha Kitt was born in South Carolina to a mother who eventually abandoned her. After shuffling between abusive relatives and suffering bullying because of her mixed heritage (Kitt's mother was African-American and Cherokee, and her father, the idendity of whom was unknown to her up until her death, was white), Kitt was dealt a difficult childhood. A turning point came at the age of 8 years old, when she moved to New York City to live with an aunt in Harlem and enrolled in the New York School of Performing Arts, setting her off a trajectory of lifelong performance.

Kitt eventually joined a dance troupe and found acclaim as a nightclub and cabaret singer in Europe. She was spotted by actor and director Orson Welles, who helped launch her career stateside with the role of Helen of Troy in Time Runs. She released an album in 1954, with the popular song C'est Si Bon, which only helped to further serve her growing fame, along with taking the role of Catwoman in the late 1960s.

Kitt was also a guiding force during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. After sharing her opinion about the Vietnam War to First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, Kitt's career took a hit for a few years, during which she focused on touring in Europe. She eventually made a comeback professionally in the States with the musical Timbuktu! in 1978.

Kitt struggled with not knowing her father's identity throughout her life. She had one daughter, Kitt Shapiro, with husband John William McDonald. Although they divorced, Kitt remained close with McDonald throughout her life. Kitt's glamorous style, fearless way of living, and love of the stage endure, and are palpable today in the following photographs.

Here, Kitt performs on Ed Sullivan's show Toast of the Town wearing a tweed-like, textural sheath dress and statement earrings.

Kitt, in her home in New York, is interviewed for the television show Person to Person wearing a button-up sweater and cropped pants, also decorated with brass buttons.

Photographed seated in Germany, Kitt looks coy and relaxed. Leather gladiator sandals, a casual cap-sleeve dress, and sleek updo deliver a polished vibe.

The South Carolinian-born singer lounges in a trailing and sparkling evening gown and slip-on heels.

Kitt casually leans against a fence with a cigarette while dressed in a white stole and dress boasting damask-like fabric.

With her hair pulled back and tied with a scarf, Kitt snuggles with kittens in a relaxed top and cropped pants.

A knit dress complete with a knit belt paired with a long beaded necklace give Kitt a polished look while acting in the film Anna Lucasta with Sammy Davis, Jr.

Behold, the chicest tartan winter dress—and Kitt, who played Catwoman and is also holding one of her beloved cats here, wears it well.

Kitt arrives at Paddington Station in London at the start of a two-month cabaret gig with her new husband of three months, Bill McDonald. Kitt would live in London for several years—raising her daughter there off and on—and considered it a second home.

Kitt and her husband Bill McDonald (at right) arrive at a party with Kitt dressed in a mink coat and her hair in a feathered sweep.

Robert Clary and Kitt entertain on the CBS television game show Stump the Stars, with Kitt donning a chic polka dot silk dress.

Relaxed and happy, the dancer and singer lounges atop a console in a white top and matching pants, with her hair fixed in the classic teased style of that time.

Kitt, who didn't know her true birthday until late in life, stuns in a strapless gown during a portrait shoot that's perfectly suited to show off her beautiful figure.

Kitt commands the camera's eye in a full leopard dress and coat—and tops it off by posing with the real deal for the photo shoot.

Kitt, the consummate wearer of the shimmering evening gown, commands the stage in a dress boasting a deep V and high slit.