Best known for her role as Cleopatra Jones in the Cleopatra Jones movies, Baltimore actress Tamara Dobson passed away at Keswick Multicare Center on Monday from complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis. She was 59. A representative for Keswick refused to comment.
The 6-foot-2-inch tall actress, who made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the tallest leading lady in film, grew up in Baltimore, attending Western High School and obtaining a degree in fashion illustration from MICA. She became a professional model for several magazines, including Vogue, Redbook and Essence. Her signature Afro and exotic way ofdressing made her one of the coolest black female leads in the blaxploitation films of the ?70s.
Peter Dobson, Tamara?s younger brother, describes Tamara as an active woman who loved to walk, dance and set her own fashion trends. “She was a fashion setter, a person that truly believed in her own design,” he said.
Living on Mosher Avenue in the city during their childhood, Peter says Tamara was a tomboy who loved being active. “She was an athletic person, which later turned into the epitome of femininity,” he said. “She was a very determined woman who was gonna do what she was gonna do.”
Peter remembered growing up with their mother, Evelyn, a strict disciplinarian who made sure her kids were never slouching. “She always believed in image engineering,” he said. “That was why [Tamara] had the image she had, why she had a lot of sexy scenes but never took off her clothes. It was her image.”
Although Tamara never had children of her own, Peter says that she was very caring of her three nieces and nephews. “She was totally dedicated to my three children,” he said. “She was their cool aunt.” He added that Tamara had always been focused on her career, trying to “hang on and wait for the next coming of opportunity.”
Peter, who fondly calls himself Tamara?s “little sidekick,” remembers his big sister as a commanding presence. “For being so physically flamboyant, she was a very humble woman and always maintained a calm power,” he said.
There will be a memorial service for Tamara at Union Baptist Church in Baltimore on Friday.
