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Hazel Dorothy Scott (June 11, 1920 – October 2, 1981) was a jazz and classical pianist, singer, actor, and civil rights activist. Born in Port of Spain (Trinidad), she moved to NYC with her mother when she was 4 years old. She was a child musical prodigy, receiving scholarships to study at the Juilliard School when she was 8 years old. In her teens, she performed in a jazz band and on the radio. She became a prominent jazz singer throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In 1950, she was the first Black American to host her own TV show, The Hazel Scott Show. She was one of the first Afro Caribbean women to garner respectable roles in major Hollywood pictures.

Hazel was committed to civil rights, particularly in Hollywood, and used her influence to improve the representation of Black Americans in film. She refused to take roles that cast her as a "singing maid." When she began performing in films, she insisted on having final cut privileges when it came to her appearance. In addition, she required control over her own wardrobe so that she could wear her own clothing if she felt that the studio's choices were unacceptable. She also refused to perform in segregated venues when she was on tour. She was once escorted from the city of Austin, TX by Texas Rangers because she refused to perform when she discovered that Black and White patrons were seated in separate areas. She told Time Magazine, "Why would anyone come to hear me, a Negro, and refuse to sit beside someone just like me?" In 1949, she brought a suit against the owners of a Pasco, WA restaurant when a waitress refused to serve her and a traveling companion because "they were Negroes." Hazel's victory helped Black Americans challenge racial discrimination in Spokane, as well as inspiring civil rights organizations "to pressure the Washington state legislature to enact the Public Accommodations Act" in 1953.

Hazel's career in America faltered after she testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1950 during the McCarthy era. She subsequently moved to Paris in 1957 and began performing in Europe. In 1963, she marched with a number of other African American expatriates, including James Baldwin, to the U.S. Embassy in Paris to demonstrate support of the upcoming March on Washington. She returned to the U.S. in 1967. By this time, the Civil Rights Movement had led to federal legislation ending racial segregation and enforcing the protection of voting rights for all citizens in addition to other social advances. She continued to play occasionally in nightclubs, while also appearing in daytime television. She made her TV acting debut in 1973 on the ABC daytime soap opera, One Life to Live.

In 1945, Hazel married Baptist minister and U.S. Congressman Adam Clayton Powell. They had one child, Adam Clayton Powell III, but divorced in 1960 after a separation. On October 2, 1981, she died of cancer at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. She was 61 years old and survived by her son Adam Clayton Powell III. She was buried at Flushing Cemetery in Queens, NY, near other musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Johnny Hodges. Singer and songwriter Alicia Keys cited Hazel as the inspiration for her performance at the 61st Grammy Awards. She said, "I've been thinking about people who inspire me. Shout out to Hazel Scott. I've always wanted to play two pianos!" Perhaps, she was referring to Hazel's incredible and memorable performance on two grand pianos (one black, one white) in the 1943 film "The Heat's On."

Footnote: If they ever decide to do a movie about Hazel's life, I think Jill Scott aka "Jilly From Philly" would be an excellent choice!