Glenda Gill collection.

Anderson, Marian, 1897-1993

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64k16hh (person)

Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897 (although throughout much of her life she gave her birth date as February 17, 1902) in south Philadelphia. Her father, John Berkley Anderson, sold ice and coal and her mother Annie Delilah Rucker Anderson was a former schoolmistress. She was the oldest of three sisters. She began singing when she was six, in the church choir, and by eight had become a regular substitute, filling in for absent sopranos, tenors and even bass. She was presented in one c...

Gershwin, George, 1898-1937

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6204wfj (person)

George Gershwin was a composer and pianist; his best-known works are Rhapsody in Blue (1924), An American in Paris (1928), "I Got Rhythm" (1930), and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), which included the hit "Summertime". Gershwin moved to Hollywood and composed numerous film scores. He died in 1937 of a malignant brain tumor....

Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fc5sfw (person)

Born in Princeton, New Jersey, on April 9, 1898, Paul Robeson was a multitalented man whose artistic and political career spanned over four decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s. Known worldwide during the 1930s and 1940s, he fell from prominence in the 1960s because of the political controversy that surrounded him during the McCarthy era. Robeson was a talented dramatic actor whose performance of Othello in this country in 1943-44 once held the record for the ...

Waters, Ethel, 1896-1977

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6hn5zmk (person)

Ethel Waters (born October 31, 1896, Chester, Pennsylvania–d. September 1, 1977, Chatsworth, California) was a musician and actress. She got her start in the 1920s in Baltimore, Maryland and also toured on the black vaudeville circuit. She began her singing career in Atlanta and then Harlem in the 1920s. She starred in many films and was the second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award. She was the first African-American to star on her own television show and the first African-Am...

Gill, Glenda Eloise

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jd70tb (person)

Freeman, Morgan J., 1969-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6n02mkj (person)

Bailey, Pearl

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6kp8ch9 (person)

Pearl Bailey (1918-1990) was an African-American actress and singer. In films she was known chiefly for two roles: Maria in "Porgy and Bess"(1959) and Frankie in "Carmen Jones,"(1954) as well as her starring role on Broadway in an all-black cast version of "Hello Dolly." During World War II, Bailey toured with the USO, performing for American troops. Beginning in 1946 she was a top attraction in nightclubs, variety houses and television programs in the United States and Britain. At age 67, in 19...

Jones, James Earl

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62231mr (person)

Actor James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931 to Robert Earl Jones and Ruth Connolly in Arkabutla, Mississippi. When Jones was five years old, his family moved to Dublin, Michigan. He graduated from Dickson High School in Brethren, Michigan in 1949. In 1953, Jones participated in productions at Manistee Summer Theatre. After serving in the U.S. Army for two years, Jones received his B.A. degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1955.Following graduation, Jones relocated to Ne...

Davis, Ossie

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64m9qk0 (person)

Ossie Davis is an actor, playwright and director who has performed for stage, film and television, and specializes in film production relating to black culture and history. Born in 1919 in Cogdell, Georgia, Davis attended Howard University from 1938 to 1941. His theater career began in the early 1940's with such plays to his credit as "Anna Lucasta," "No Time for Sergeants," "A Raisin in the Sun," and "Purlie Victorious." Three of the many films he acted in are "The Joe ...

Dee, Ruby

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63b6jwr (person)