Standing at a statuesque 6'2, Tamara Dobson was, and remains, one of the tallest leading ladies to ever feature in film. Starring in just a handful of motion pictures, Dobson immortalized herself in pop-culture consciousness as the unforgettable Cleopatra Jones in 1972's Cleopatra Jones. A fierce action heroine and fashion icon, Jones is dedicated to bringing down the predatory drug-dowager Mommy (Shelley Winters), protecting her community and delivering some sweet '70s justice. In contrast to many other films of the day, Dobson's Cleopatra was not handing down justice as a rogue vigilante, but as a US Special Agent in the CIA.
Dobson’s characterization as a highly-competent agent working within the system of established authority is still a revolutionary one. Both ancient history and modern-lore are filled with charismatic rebel women, rising up and reigning down vengeance on those that have wronged them or their people. From the Trung Sisters, to Boadicea, to Phoolan Devi, to Coffy, when just retribution is delivered from a lady's hands, Lady Vengeance is overwhelmingly represented. A Black woman amongst the ranks of organized authority is a radical representation, suggesting that those most oppressed by the system can come to matter within it and wield its powers to protect and serve others who have been similarly marginalized and oppressed.
The visual iconography of Dobson's Cleopatra in both Cleopatra Jones and its sequel Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975) juxtaposes sleek and chic Giorgio St. Angelo pantsuits with flamboyant wide-brimmed hats and big fur-trimmed coats, constructing a heroine who is rugged yet feminine, and stylish and desirable without being overtly sexualized. Dobson, who did her own make up and provided considerable input on the aesthetic creation of her character, refused to do nude scenes. Refusing to appear nude has helped distinguish her image from that of some of her contemporaries, and further established her reputation as a star in a genre where fame often came and disappeared quickly. That audiences never see Cleopatra Jones in the buff further cements her character as occupying a position of power, authority, and agency; Jones is never nude and nigh invulnerable.
Though Cleopatra Jones is oft considered to be the defining role of Dobson's career, her first credited role was in Fuzz (1972), an action crime comedy picture that starred Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. Like many other foxy ladies she worked in modeling before she worked in acting, gracing the pages of Vogue, the covers of LIFE and Redbook as well as television commercials for Chanel, Revlon and Farbrege. Before her modeling career, Dobson earned a degree in fashion illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art. After Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold Dobson starred in Norman...Is That You? (1976) and Chained Heat (1983). She also worked in television, playing a series regular on Jason of Star Command (1979-1981), and making guest appearances on series such as Sanford and Son (1977) and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century(1980). Her final role was starring in 1984's Amazons, a made-for-TV movie about... Amazons.
In 1976, JET magazine reported that Dobson was writing some screen plays as well working on a record for MCA. Unfortunately, none of these projects came to be and Dobson continued working as a model, becoming the face of Farbrege's Tigress fragrance at the end of the 1970s. Some time in the mid-1980s, Tamara seemed to disappear from the radar screen as well as the cinema and television screens. Little is published on her life and career post-1985 outside of the fact that she spent most of her life in New York City. Shortly after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she returned to her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. A few years later in 2006, Dobson passed away from complications of pneumonia and multiple sclerosis; she was 59.
Though her acting career was relatively brief, Dobson established herself as a star and a cultural touchstone of the '70s. Forty years after Cleopatra Jones, she remains a fashion icon and inspiration to many, having introduced some of the most elegant fashions of the decade. Her star-image and the characters she played have caught the interest of many film and cultural studies academics writing on representations of race, gender, and sexuality; her career is celebrated by a variety of movie geeks and cinephiles. A woman of multiple accomplishments, Tamara Dobson's memory lives on in film, fashion and fierceness.
Recommended Reading:
Brody, Jennifer Devere. "The Returns of 'Cleopatra Jones'", Signs 25:1 (1999): 91-121.
Dunn, Stephanie. Baad Bitches and Sassy Supermamas: Black power action films. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2004.
Sims, Yvonne Women of Blaxploitation: How the Black Action Film Heroine Changed American Popular Culture. Jefferson: McFarland and Company, Inc., 2006.
