McClendon, Rose, 1884-1936

Rose McClendon was one of the most important and well-known black actresses of the 1920s and 1930s. Although she did not become a professional actor until she was in her thirties, she consistently won critical acclaim for her acting and influenced the careers of many aspiring black actors of the period.

McClendon made her professional debut in "Justice" (1919) and four years later appeared in "Roseanne" (1924) with Charles Gilpin (and later Paul Robeson). In 1926 she gained prominence for her acting in "Deep River," where she earned rave reviews, and in Paul Green's Pultizer Prize-winning folk tragedy, "In Abraham's Bosom" that starred Jules Bledsoe in the title role. In 1927 she received the Morning Telegraph Acting Award (along with Ethel Barrymore and Lynn Fontanne) for her portrayal of Serena in Dubose and Dorothy Heyward's "Porgy." Other plays McClendon appeared in include "House of Connelly," "Canary," "Brain Sweat," "Roll Sweet Chariot," and "Panic." Her last starring role was as Cora in Langston Hughes' "Mulatto" (1935) which ran for 375 performances on Broadway, the second-longest run by a black playwright at that time. McClendon was also a director for the Negro (Harlem) Experimental Theatre located at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library and, in addition, worked in a supervisory capacity with the Federal Theatre Project.

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