Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson was an American actor and bass-baritone concert singer who became a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, he attended Rutgers College, where he excelled in football before turning to the stage. He first gained attention on stage in The Emperor Jones and in All God's Chillun Got Wings, two plays by Eugene O'Neill, and he made his film debut in Oscar Micheaux's Body and Soul (1925). His 1928 London performance in Show Boat was a major success, and he later starred in the film version of Show Boat (1936). He also played Brutus in the film The Emperor Jones (1933), which was the first film to give an African American a starring role. Robeson performed in a London production of Othello and toured as a concert singer, and he released recordings of about 270 songs between 1925 and 1961.