Eartha Kitt (1927 – 2008) was an American actress, singer, cabaret star, dancer, stand-up comedienne, activist and voice artist, known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby", which were both US Top 10 hits. Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world". Here, we selected 30 stunning black and white portraits of Eartha Kitt taken by various photographers from the 1950s. Eartha Kitt, by Ernst Haas NYC, 1952 Eartha Kitt, NYC, 1952 Eartha Kitt by Gordon Parks, 1952 Eartha Kitt by Gordon Parks, 1952 Eartha Kitt by J. Kriegsmann Eartha Kitt by Harry Hammond, 1958 Eartha Kitt by Phillipe Halsman Eartha Kitt by Gordon Parks, June 1952 Eartha Kitt by George Silk, 1955 Eartha Kitt by George Silk, 1955 Eartha Kitt arrives at London’s Paddington Station for a two-month cabaret engagement in 1960. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) Eartha Kitt and James Dean by Dennis Stock Eartha Kitt and James Dean by Dennis Stock Eartha Kitt in her dressing room backstage at New Faces of 1952. (Image by Bettmann/CORBIS) Eartha Kitt as Catwoman 30th May 1956: American singer Eartha Kitt at the Mayfair Hotel, London, with her cats 'Mishak' and 'Willow'. (Photo by J. Wilds/Keystone/Getty Images) Eartha Kitt in a recording studio circa 1955. (Photo by Metronome/Getty Images) Eartha Kitt in a recording studio circa 1955. (Photo by Metronome/Getty Images) Eartha Kitt by Phillipe Halsman Eartha Kitt, 1958 Eartha Kitt hugs Nat King Cole, playing the piano in the role of W.C Hardy, in scene from the 1958 movies "Saint Louis Blues" Eartha Kitt by Gordon Parks, June 1952 Eartha Kitts dances in a televised treatment of Oscar Wilde's play Salomé, 1955 Eartha Kitt backstage, 1959 Eartha Kitt, 1959