Found 37 collections related to African American actors

The Frederick O'Neal Papers document the theatrical, labor, and civic activities of this actor and labor leader, mostly from the 1940s through the 1990s. The collection consists primarily of personal papers, correspondence, speeches and addresses, writing, and information about the theatrical productions in which he appeared. There are also research materials about the 19th century African-American actor, Ira Aldridge, and files pertaining to the many organizations with which O'Neal was associated. less

The Canada Lee Papers document two of the careers of this multi-talented man: his profession as an actor and his career as a boxer. The papers consist principally of personal and professional correspondence; speeches; and contracts, correspondence and other material generated during the production of a play or movie in which he performed. A significant part of the collection is newsclippings and other material housed in a series of scrapbooks. Also included are financial records, and a few artifacts. less

The records contain personal and professional papers comprised of biographical materials, letters, writings, programs, music, a scrapbook and miscellaneous items. The Personal Papers consist of various forms of identification, letters and an obituary, among other items. less

Allan W. McMillan, a longtime columnist for The Amsterdam News and the first Black syndicated columnist, made his reputation as an entertainment writer, Broadway columnist, and publicist. The Allan W. McMillan public relations files document the public relations work of McMillan on behalf of his clients. less

Mildred Stock was a writer and researcher, best known for the work, Ira Aldridge: The Negro Tragedian", which she co-authored with Herbert Marshall. The Mildred Stock research collection consists of research files concerning Stock's studies of African American and European stage actors, slavery, and other subjects. less

Joseph Attles (1903-1991) was a singer and dancer whose career spanned six decades. The bulk of his collection consists of playscripts for shows that Attles appeared in, including Bubbling Brown Sugar by Loften Mitchell, C & W, John Henry, Jericho-Jim Crow, Prodigal Son, Troupers, and Do Lord Remember Me by James de Jongh. The collection also includes: correspondence, both professional and personal; contracts and financial documents; programs of productions Attles appeared in; lyrics; and clippings related to both himself and other show business personalities. less

This collection consists of material pertaining to Harrison's portrayal of "de Lawd" in the play The Green Pastures, written by Marc Connelly. Material primarily includes news clippings about Harrison and the play; Harrison's death in 1935; drafts of lectures given by Harrison; letters to Harrison from family members and others, including Paul Lawrence Dunbar; programs and playbills; and a biography of Harrison entitled "Even Playing 'De Lawd': Some Experiences from the Life of Richard Harrison" written by Olive L. Jeter. Jeter used the materials in this collection and her notes from discussions with Harrison for the biography. Additionally, there are two scrapbooks compiled by Jeter after Harrison's tours with Green Pastures." less

William H. Glenn and Walter Jenkins (Glenn & Jenkins) were a popular comedy team who performed on the vaudeville circuit and toured the United States, Canada, and London during the 1920s and 1930s. They became renowned for their black face routines, "Working for the Railway" and "The Broom Dance.". The contents of the scrapbook includes reviews and advertisments of their comedy routines dating from 1922 to 1949 and 1962. The scrapbook also contains notes, flyers, photographs, telegrams, greeting cards, and copies of their pay stubs. less

An actor and producer, A. Lincoln Harris reportedly was the first black playwright to feature black people in dramatic works. He produced several plays among them "The Advanced Negro," " Waena," "High Life in Haiti" and "A Trusted Friend" that featured the Lincoln Harris Players founded by Harris. Advertisements and reviews of plays comprise the contents in the scrapbook. The majority of articles, however, deal with the accomplishments of black people especially in sports. less

Composer, pianist, arranger. Brown worked as Paul Robeson's accompanist for thirty-eight years. The Lawrence Brown papers encompass correspondence reflecting Brown's wide-ranging travels, and his friendships (mostly letters written by his friends and business associates); personal papers; travel file consisting mostly of itineraries for tours; financial records comprised largely of royalty and earnings statements; programs for Brown and other artists; scrapbooks of news clippings and telegrams covering the Brown and Paul Robeson concert years (1928-1968); news clippings of concert reviews; and original scores and sheet music written by Brown and other composers. Papers relate to Brown's life and times, including World War I, Harlem Renaissance, World War II, spirituals, and his collaborator, Paul Robeson. Correspondents include Amanda Aldridge, Ethel Gardner Dingle, Jannett Hamlyn, Roland Hayes, Langston Hughes, Zaidee Jackson, William Lawrence, John Payne, Paul and Eslanda Robeson, Clara Rockmore, Robert Rockmore, Mrs. Corinne Sawyer (Brown's landlady), and Greta and I. W. Sequeira. less

Correspondence, plays, poems, sketches, and song lyrics by Whipper and others, including a musical comedy by Whipper and Porter Grainger entitled "We's Risin': A Story of the Simple Life in the Souls of Black Folk." Majority of the correspondence is congratulatory. Also, photographs and scrapbook of highlights in Whipper's career and programs, autograph books, and contracts pertaining to his career. less

The Kenn Freeman Papers, 1930-1988 document Freeman's life as an actor, singer/dancer, writer/director, and costume and set designer. The collection consists of three series; Personal Papers, Professional Papers, and Family Papers, and include correspondence, programs, flyers, contracts, writings, scripts, sheet music, scrapbooks, and autograph albums. Correspondence between Kenn and Bea Freeman forms an important part of both the Personal Papers and Family Papers series. The letters show the close personal and professional relationship between mother and son. The bulk of the correspondence covers the years, 1937 to 1950, and was written primarily during the years Kenn was in the United States Navy or in England or when either of them was on tour with a production. less

William Hairston was an actor, writer, director, producer and administrator. The collection contains biographical information about Hairston; correspondence; manuscripts for books, playscripts, musicals, poetry, comedy writing, television and film; and scrapbooks. less

Emmett "Babe" Wallace is a singer, composer, actor and writer. He has performed in cabarets, musical revues, films and the theater. As a composer and writer, he has produced a voluminous body of musical compositions, poetry essays and journals. Music, songs, poetry, prose, daybooks, scripts, personal papers, printed material, and other papers, relating to Wallace's career in cabarets, musical revues, films, and theater in the United States, Canada, France, and Israel. Themes in his creative work include personal life, civil rights, religion, and politics. less

Ernest Truesdale, whose stage name was Tad Truesdale, was a dancer, choreographer, actor, writer, producer, and director. This collection primarily documents the performer's professional career and includes biographical information, playscripts, news clippings, reviews, programs, correspondence, and financial records. less

Actor, Earl Sydnor appeared on and off-Broadway, on television, and in film. He began his acting career after performing with the New Jersey Federal Theatre Company. Throughout his career, he worked with Katherine Dunham, Ethel Waters, Henry Fonda, James Earl Jones, and Lou Gossett, Jr. in various plays such as "Cabin in the Sky," "Kiss The Boys Goodbye," "First Monday in October" and the films, "The Emperor Jones" and "Take A Giant Step." As a young man Sydnor wrote poetry and several of his poems were published in black literary magazines. Sydnor died on July 9, 1989. Papers documenting the acting career of Earl Sydnor. The papers are divided in two series, Personal and Professional, which include correspondence, biographical material, newspaper articles and reviews, and playbills. Additionally, there are two scrapbooks dealing with his acting career and service in the Army Air Force in 1943. A third scrapbook relates to his appearance, with his wife Virginia, in "The American Home" magazine in 1945, which became a controversial issue because the magazine had never featured blacks before. less

Edith Spencer was an international singer and dancer who appeared in vaudeville, the theatre and in nightclubs during the 1920s and 1930s. She appeared in the Broadway productions of "Runnin' Wild," "Rarin' to Go," and succeeded Florence Mills in "Shuffle Along." Her performances included club engagements and appearances from New York to Los Angeles, London, Paris, and the Far East. After "Shuffle Along" closed, Lottie Gee and Spencer became partners and formed a sister act that was followed by the addition of Allegretti Anderson. The trio was alternately billed as the Harmony Trio, the Creole Beauties, and the Three Dark Sisters. The Edith Spencer Scrapbook documents Spencer's entertainment career and her subsequent employment as a real estate agent. The contents include newspaper clippings, flyers and a photograph of Spencer, Gee and Anderson. less

Sidney Easton (1886-1971) was an actor, playwright, and songwriter. This collection contains personal and professional papers including letters, writings by Easton, legal documents regarding his suit against 20th Century-Fox Corporation, and research notes. less

The Schomburg Programs and Playbills collection consists of thousands of programs, playbills, and other ephemera, spanning the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries, documenting Black theatrical, musical, and dance performances, as well as events put on by Black academic, community, religious, and political organizations. less

The Negro Actors Guild (NAG) was formed in 1936 and began operation in 1937 in New York City as a welfare and benevolent organization for Black performers. The Negro Actors Guild (NAG) records document the functions and activities of this professional organization. less

The Ed Hall Papers consist of correspondence concerning professional and personal matters (1944-1983), and a poem authored by Owen Dodson. Several letters are from Ted Shine and George Rose, and one letter each are from director Lloyd Richards, Bobby Short, Thornton Wilder, Boston Globe drama critic Kevin Kelly, Vinnette Carroll, and a telegram from Lorraine Hansberry. There are also several contracts for the productions in which he acted, including television shows. A file for Zulu and the Zayda contains quarterly financial reports for 1965-1966, showing that Hall was a small investor in the production. The collection includes obituaries and other articles with information about Hall's career. less

Louis R. Sharp, African-American singer and actor graduated from the University of Kansas, where he sang with the University quartet. Moving to California in 1926, he studied voice with Theodore Ricardo, and settled in Harlem in the 1930s. A tenor, Sharp performed in concerts and recitals, singing in six languages. In 1931 Hall Johnson hired Sharp as a choral member of The Green Pastures in which he also played Cain. He had a major role as Toussaint L'Ouverture in the 1938 Federal Theatre Project's production of Haiti opposite Canada Lee's Christophe. Sharp was also in the original Broadway cast of such productions as Conjur Man Dies, Mamba's Daughters, Cabin in the Sky, South Pacific, St. Louis Woman, Finian's Rainbow, and Set My People Free. The Louis Sharp scrapbooks are comprised of two volumes. The first (1926-1946) contains news clippings and programs regarding Sharp's career, initially as a tenor performing in concerts, later as a singer and actor in Finian's Rainbow and in Broadway's St. Louis Woman, and Haiti, among other productions. There are several congratulatory letters and telegrams, including from Cab Calloway. The second scrapbook (1942-1947) consists of news clippings about African-American sports figures such as boxer Joe Louis and baseball player Jackie Robinson. less

Flournoy Miller (1889-1971) was an actor, comedian, playwright, lyricist and producer. Collection contains personal papers that include biographical information and correspondence; professional papers, including contracts, memberships, writings and production files. less

The Helen Armstead-Johnson miscellaneous theater collections (HAJMTC) were formed by over two hundred file-folder level collections (one-three file folders per personality or event). The collections contain information dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth century, and they document early dramatic actors, minstrel shows, vaudeville, musical revues, Broadway productions, and protest dramas, among others. In addition to actors, playwrights, singers, musicians, and dancers and the productions in which they appeared, there are collections for poets and visual artists. less

The New Heritage Theatre Group records consists of playbills, broadsides, flyers, playscripts, correspondence and printed matter relating to the organization's productions and events from 1965-2015. Of particular note are original playscripts and production materials for the South African musical "Sarafina!" (1988-1991) and flyers and announcements for a play reading series entitled "Voices of Griots" (1991-1996). There is also a biographical file for Roger Furman. less