Staying Fit
Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in the film "Lady Sings the Blues."
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While some of us spent the pandemic lockdown drinking Chardonnay and bingeing true-crime documentaries, Diana Ross, 77, once again proved why she’s been a legend for nearly six decades: Stuck at home, the Motown hitmaker wrote and recorded her twenty-fifth studio album. Thank You (out Nov. 5) is her first album of original material since 1999’s Every Day Is a New Day, and you can listen to her comeback single, also entitled “Thank You,” now.
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As Ross prepares for a 2022 concert tour across the U.K., there’s no better time to look back at her 10 most fabulous onscreen moments — and then crank up the volume on our playlist of her fiercest hits.
Want to stream Diana Ross’ Fiercest Hits? Head to our critic-selected Spotify playlist right now!
(Left to right) Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Cindy Birdsong of the Supremes perform during a 1968 television special that aired on NBC.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
TCB (1968)
The Supremes — Ross, Mary Wilson and replacement member Cindy Birdsong (81) — teamed up with their Motown labelmates, the Temptations, for this primetime musical revue, with a setlist that featured songs from each group, ’60s pop hits (“Eleanor Rigby,” “Mrs. Robinson”) and show tunes of the era. A soundtrack album hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and the special spawned a 1969 follow-up, G.I.T. on Broadway, which earned Bob Mackie (82) an Emmy for his costumes.
The Most Supreme Moment: When Ross performs an extended African dance solo, wearing brightly patterned costumes and headdresses. Watch the dance here.
Where to Watch: You can find clips on YouTube.
Diana Ross as Sister Therese in "Tarzan."
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
Tarzan (1968)
Four years before she starred in her first film, Lady Sings the Blues, Ross made her acting debut, alongside Wilson and Birdsong in the 1960s TV adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure classic. The Motown stars played against type as a trio of nuns who return to the home village of Sister Therese (Ross) to build a hospital and deliver medicine. Keep your eyes peeled for a young James Earl Jones, 90, who plays a tribal chieftain!
The Most Supreme Moment: When the nuns sing “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” as they literally row to shore on a hippopotamus-filled river.
Where to Watch: You can find clips on YouTube or buy the DVD on Amazon Prime.
Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
It’s hard to imagine that this harrowing Billie Holiday biopic was Ross’ screen debut, because she’s such an immediately magnetic leading lady. She had to sing, play different ages and pretend to be strung out on heroin, and she earned a best actress Oscar nomination for the role. Vincent Canby of the New York Times called her “an actress of exceptional beauty and wit,” while Roger Ebert declared that Ross had given “one of the great performances of 1972.”
The Most Supreme Moment: When Ross as Holiday sings “God Bless the Child” at Carnegie Hall.
Where to Watch: The film is not currently available for streaming online, but you can buy the Blu-ray for $14.99 on Amazon Prime.
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