Micheaux, Oscar, 1884-1951

The 40 or so films that Micheaux wrote, directed and produced from 1919 to 1948 carry with them the added excitement of black characters doing things that at the time seemed unthinkable onscreen; Oscar Michaux was born on Jan. 2, 1884, to Calvin and Bell Michaux, both former slaves, in Metropolis, Ill.; added an e to his surname later; secured a job as a Pullman porter assisting railway passengers; became a homesteader, securing a plot in Gregory County, S.D.; married Orlean McCracken; started writing for The Chicago Defender urging black people to take advantage of the land grab out West; wrote several books and memoirs; produced film "The Homesteader" in 1919 based on his novel; opened offices for his production studio in Chicago and Harlem, where he eventually settled; Micheaux died in Charlotte, N.C., on March 25, 1951

Oscar Devereaux Micheaux January 2, 1884, Metropolis, Illinois, – March 25, 1951, Charlotte, North Carolina; father was born a slave in Kentucky; moved to Chicago at age 17; worked in stockyards, at steel mills, opened shoe shine business, Pullman porter, homesteader in Gregory County, SD; wrote essays and articles about being a homesteader; father-in-law sold his homestead; as a writer, wrote 7 novels; made film of his novel The Homesteader himself in 1919; became successful film producer