Effective period / Period of releases: 1970

Born September 3, 1902, died September 28, 1973. Actor. Born in Monroe, Louisiana, he was an African American actor-comedian popular in films from the 1930s to early 1970s. By the late 1920s, he had performed in Vaudeville, on Broadway and toured Europe. He made his big screen debut in "That's the Spirit" (1933), followed by "The Green Pastures" (1936). His other film credits include "Up in the Air" (1940), "The Scarlet Clue" (1945), "The Sky Dragon" (1949), "The Patsy" (1964), "Watermelon Man" (1970) and "The Young Nurses" (1973), his last movie. He also appeared on the TV series "Hallmark Hall of Fame", "Adam-12", "Julia" and "The Bill Cosby Show". He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Hollywood, California, at age 71.