Leigh Whipper

Leigh Whipper
Whipper as the Crab Man in Porgy (1927)
Born	Leigh Rollin Whipper (1876-10-29)October 29, 1876 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	July 26, 1975(1975-07-26) (aged 98) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Howard University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1899–1958
Spouse	Lillian E. Myles (m. 1904; died 1946)
Children	Leighla Whipper
Parent(s)	William James Whipper Frances Rollin Whipper
Relatives	Ionia Rollin Whipper (sister) William Whipper (great-uncle)

Leigh Rollin Whipper (October 29, 1876 – July 26, 1975) was an American actor on the stage and in motion pictures. He was the first African American to join the Actors' Equity Association, and one of the founders of the Negro Actors Guild of America.^[1] He created the role of Crooks in the original Broadway production of Of Mice and Men, which he reprised in the 1939 film version.

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Biography

Whipper was the son of African-American educator, author and activist Frances Rollin Whipper and a nephew of abolitionist William Whipper, attorney William J. Whipper. Educated at Howard University Law School, he left in 1895 and never practiced as a lawyer.

Without any dramatic training, Whipper made his acting debut in a Philadelphia stock theater production of Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1899.^[2] He made his first Broadway appearance in Georgia Minstrels. His first film role was in the 1920 silent film The Symbol of the Unconquered.

A portrait of Whipper entitled "Dans un Café à Paris (Leigh Whipper)" by artist Loïs Mailou Jones, oil on canvas is currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum.^[3][1] Quoted from the museum webpage: "The artist’s portrayal of a pensive Whipper answered Alain Locke’s call for black artists to create ennobling representations of African Americans."[2]

During the Second World War, Whipper was a member of the steering committee of Negro Division the Hollywood Victory Committee.^[4]

Leigh's daughter, Leighla Frances Whipper, was a Calypso songwriter and music publisher.^[5]

Partial filmography

Within Our Gates (1920)
The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920) - Tugi - an Indian Fakir
Of Mice and Men (1939) - Crooks
Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941) - Kezeye
Virginia (1941) - Ezechial
Road to Zanzibar (1941) - Scarface
King of the Zombies (1941) - Momba
Bahama Passage (1941) - Morales
Lady for a Night (1942) - Joe Cupid, the Charm Seller (uncredited)
The Vanishing Virginian (1942) - Uncle Josh
Heart of the Golden West (1942) - Rango
White Cargo (1942) - Jim Fish
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) - Sparks (uncredited)
Mission to Moscow (1943) - Haile Selassie (uncredited)
Happy Land (1943) - Old Ben (uncredited)
The Impostor (1944) - Toba
The Yellow Rose of Texas (1944) - Dock Singer (uncredited)
Dark Waters (1944) - Minor Role (uncredited)
Jungle Queen (1945, Serial) - Native (uncredited)
The Hidden Eye (1945) - Alistair
The Negro Sailor (1945)
Young Widow (1946) - Nate (uncredited)
Undercurrent (1946) - George
Untamed Fury (1947) - Uncle Gabe
Lost Boundaries (1949) - Janitor
The Shrike (1955) - Carlisle
The Young Don't Cry (1957) - Doosy
Peter Gunn season 1, episode 2: "Streetcar Jones" (1958) - Lodi

References

^ The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts. "Leigh Rollin Whipper papers". Retrieved October 5, 2013.
^ Barclay, Dolores (May 25, 1974). "Acting pioneer 'not retired' at 97". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Wisconsin, Green Bay. Associated Press. p. 110. Retrieved August 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Brooklyn Museum". www.brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
^ Watts, Jill (2006). Hattie McDaniel: Black Ambition, White Hollywood. Amistad. p. 209.
^ Lewis, Carole (February 11, 2010). "Leighla Frances Whipper". Black Past.