Found 2 collections related to African American actresses

Ossie Davis (1917-2005) and Ruby Dee (1922-2014) were American actors, writers, and activists whose careers spanned the mediums of theater, film, television, radio, and print. The Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee photographs, dating from the 1940s to 2012, chronicle the couple's performing roles, as well as their public life as activists and relationships with colleagues in the arts. less

Ernestine McClendon was an actress and comedian who was best known as the first Black theatrical agent in New York City. She started her agency, McClendon Enterprises, after a one-woman 1960 letter writing campaign to acting agencies and product manufacturers, compelling them to use Black actors and actresses in commercials. McClendon's collection showcases her performances on stage, her career as an agent, and her social life with partner George Wiltshire via professional headshots, contact sheets, resumes, newspaper clippings, programs, and theatre production photographs. less