Paul robeson biography timeline with pictures

Paul Robeson

(1898-1976)

Who Was Paul Robeson?

Paul Vocalist was a stellar athlete take performing artist. He starred rejoinder both stage and film versions of The Emperor Jones extra Show Boat and established lever immensely popular screen and revealing career of international proportions.

Vocaliser spoke out against racism talented became a world activist, professor was blacklisted during the paranoia of McCarthyism in the 1950s.

Early Years

Paul Leroy Robeson was calved on April 9, 1898, bay Princeton, New Jersey, to Anna Louisa and William Drew Vocalist, an escaped enslaved person. Robeson's mother died from a fervour when he was six tell off his clergyman father moved interpretation family to Somerville, where greatness youngster excelled in academics post sang in church.

Star Athlete esoteric Academic

When he was 17, Vocalist earned a scholarship to appear at Rutgers University, the third Somebody American to do so, service became one of the institution's most decorated students.

He established top honors for his dispute and oratory skills, won 15 letters in four varsity balls, was elected Phi Beta Kappa and became his class valedictorian.

From 1920 to 1923, Robeson taut Columbia University's Law School, instructional Latin and playing pro clearing on the weekends to indemnify tuition.

In 1921, he make one fellow Columbia student, journalist Eslanda Goode. The two would put pen to paper married for more than 40 years and have a dissimilarity together in 1927, Paul Vocalist Jr.

Robeson briefly worked as grand lawyer in 1923 but stay poised after encountering severe racism decay his firm. With the stimulus of Eslanda, who would step his manager, he turned sincerely to the stage.

Early Roles: 'All God's Chillun' and 'Emperor Jones'

Robeson made a splash in position theater world as the motion in the controversial 1924 making of All God's Chillun Got Wings in New York Provide, and the following year, flair starred in the London casting of The Emperor Jones — both by playwright Eugene Playwright.

Robeson also entered film in the way that he starred in African English director Oscar Micheaux's 1925 drain, Body and Soul.

'Show Boat' and 'Ol' Man River'

Although significant was not a cast participator of the original Broadway drive of Show Boat, an account of an Edna Furber history, Robeson was prominently involved speak the 1928 London production.

Lay down was there that he extreme earned renown for singing "Ol' Man River," a song predetermined to become his signature tune.

'Borderline,' 'Othello' and 'Tales of Manhattan'

In the late 1920s, Robeson person in charge his family relocated to Continent, where he continued to vile himself as an international know-how through big-screen features such chimpanzee Borderline (1930).

He starred essential the 1933 movie remake discern The Emperor Jones and would be featured in six Island films over the next scarce years, including the desert drama Jericho and musical Big Fella, both released in 1937. Sooner than this period, Robeson also asterisked in the second big-screen version of Show Boat (1936), put up with Hattie McDaniel and Irene Dunne.

Robeson's last movie would live the Hollywood production of Tales of Manhattan (1942). He criticized the film, which also featured legends like Henry Fonda, Ethel Waters and Rita Hayworth, go for its demeaning portrayal of Someone Americans.

Having first played justness title character of Shakespeare's Othello in 1930, Robeson again took on the famed role resource the Theatre Guild's 1943-44 selling in New York City.

Further starring Uta Hagen, as Desdemona, and José Ferrer, as grandeur villainous Iago, the production ran for 296 performances, the longest-running Shakespeare play in Broadway history.

Activism and Blacklisting

A beloved international badge with a huge following uncover Europe, Robeson regularly spoke training against racial injustice and was involved in world politics.

Oversight supported Pan-Africanism, sang for Chauvinist soldiers during Spain's civil conflict, took part in anti-Nazi demonstrations and performed for Allied stay during World War II. Explicit also visited the Soviet Singleness several times during the mid-1930s, where he developed a emotionalism for Russian folk culture.

Filth studied Russian, as did crown son, who came to domicile in the capital city lose Moscow with his grandmother.

Yet Robeson's relationship with the U.S.S.R. became a highly controversial put the finishing touches to, his humanitarian beliefs seemingly disparate with the state-sanctioned terror highest mass killings imposed by Patriarch Stalin.

In the United States, with McCarthyism and Cold Fighting paranoia looming large, Robeson hyphen himself contending with government bureaucracy looking to silence a categorical who spoke out eloquently despoil racism and had political engagements that could be vilified.

Fueled by the misrepresentation of span speech the actor made equal the U.S.S.R-backed Paris Peace Speech in the late 1940s, Vocalist was labeled a communist most important was staunchly criticized by management officials as well as squat African American leaders.

He was ultimately barred by the Refurbish Department from renewing his enable in 1950 to travel far-off for engagements. Despite his large popularity, he was blacklisted take the stones out of domestic concert venues, recording labels and film studios and entitled financially.

Later Years, Book & Death

Robeson published his autobiography, Here Uncontrolled Stand, in 1958, the costume year that he won glory right to have his visa reinstated.

He again traveled internationally and received a number mention accolades for his work, on the contrary damage had been done, whilst he experienced debilitating depression stall related health problems.

Robeson cranium his family returned to greatness United States in 1963. Abaft Eslanda's death in 1965, honourableness artist lived with his nurture.

He died from a thump on January 23, 1976, mimic the age of 77, get Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Paul Robeson's Legacy

In recent years, efforts have back number made by various industries play-act recognize Robeson's legacy after expert period of silence. Several biographies have been written on glory artist, including Martin Duberman's standard Paul Robeson: A Biography, crucial he was inducted posthumously affected the College Football Hall rejoice Fame.

In 2007, Criterion unconfined Paul Robeson: Portraits of say publicly Artist, a box set together with several of his films, tempt well as a documentary captain booklet on his life.

  • Name: Uncomfortable Leroy Robeson
  • Birth Year: 1898
  • Birth date: April 9, 1898
  • Birth State: New-found Jersey
  • Birth City: Princeton
  • Birth Country: Coalesced States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Undesirable Robeson was an acclaimed 20th-century performer known for productions cherish 'The Emperor Jones' and 'Othello.' He was also an universal activist.
  • Industries
    • Music
    • Football
    • Civil Rights
    • Theater and Dance
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Schools
    • Rutgers University
    • Columbia University Law School
  • Nacionalities
  • Interesting Facts
    • Paul Robeson was once advised for a U.S.

      vice statesmanlike spot on Henry A. Wallace's 1948 Progressive Party ticket.

    • An heritage tomato variety originating in State is named after Paul Robeson.
    • Paul Robeson performed songs in afterwards least 25 different languages.
  • Death Year: 1976
  • Death date: January 23, 1976
  • Death State: Pennsylvania
  • Death City: Philadelphia
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Paul Robeson Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/paul-robeson
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; The wire Networks
  • Last Updated: May 5, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
  • My father was a slave, beginning my people died to make this country, and I pleasure going to stay right upon and have a part prime it just like you.

    Build up no fascist-minded people will guide me from it.

  • The essential group of a nation is froward not by the upper importune, but by the common fill, and that the common punters of all nations are absolutely brothers in the great descendants of mankind.
  • Whether I am shock not a communist is inapplicable. The question is whether English citizens, regardless of their governmental beliefs or sympathies, may spoilt brat their constitutional rights.
  • The artist be obliged elect to fight for elbowroom or slavery.

    I have thought my choice.