Richard B. Harrison collection

1898-1935

Richard Harrison (1864-1935) was an African American actor, appearing most notably in The Green Pastures. He was also a skilled reader and interpreter of Shakespeare, teacher, and lecturer.

Richard Berry Harrison's parents had escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad and made it to London, Ontario, Canada. His mother named him Richard after seeing a performance of Shakespeare's Richard III; her interest in theater influenced Harrison. After moving to Detroit, Harrison began his dramatic studies at the Detroit Training School of Dramatic Art, and privately with Edward Weitzel, a British drama coach and drama editor for the Detroit Free Press. From 1892-1896, Harrison traveled, performing as a dramatic reader of Shakespeare and Paul Laurence Dunbar's poetry.

In 1895, Harrison married Gertrude Janet Washington, who was the first Black person to graduate from the Chicago Conservatory of Music. They had two children, Lawrence Gilbert and Marian Ysobel.

Harrison became well known nationally for his recitations in both Black and white communities. While on tour, he became aware of a great desire for dramatic training among the people for whom he performed. After convincing the president of North Carolina A and T, James B. Dudley, of the need for a dramatic program of study, he began to offer summer courses there in 1922. At the same time, he moved his family to New York, and began reading and teaching in churches and performing on stage.

Harrison's stage credits include Pa Williams's Gal at the Lafayette Theatre, and The Green Pastures, which opened February 26, 1930, at the Mansfield Theatre on Broadway. The latter show ran for 16 months, went on a national tour, and won the Pulitzer Prize. Harrison's portrayal of "De Lawd" was important to its success and won him additional acclamation.

Harrison received the NAACP's 1930 Spingarn Medal for Distinguished Achievement and honorary degrees from a number of colleges and universities. On March 14, 1935, Harrison died of heart failure.