Alvin Childress

Did you know?!

1. A role that slipped away

   Alvin Childress auditioned for the role of The Kingfish on Amos 'n' Andy, but Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden instead cast him as Amos Jones. Gosden and Correll then handed the Kingfish search over to Childress.

2. 

   Beyond film

   On the stage, Childress had his greatest success playing Noah in the popular drama Anna Lucasta, a production that ran for 957 performances.

3. A change of course

   Childress entered college planning to become a doctor and took pre-med courses, but got into theater outside of classes instead.

4. A change of course

   Childress was typecast as Amos Jones, so when he looked for acting work he found none. For a short time he parked cars for an upscale Beverly Hills restaurant.

5. Beyond film

   In 1956 Childress toured the US with fellow Amos 'n' Andy cast members Tim Moore, Spencer Williams and Lillian Randolph as "The TV Stars of Amos 'n' Andy", until CBS halted the tour as an infringement of its rights.

6. First role

   Childress began his New York acting career with the Lafayette Players, a stock troupe tied to Harlem's Lafayette Theatre, before joining the Federal Theater Project and the American Negro Theater.