Paul Robeson

Birth Name:

Paul Leroy Bustill Robeson

Birth Place:

Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Profession

Soundtrack, Actor

His "Othello" was the longest-running Shakespeare play in Broadway history at almost 300 performances and is still considered one of the best American Shakespeare productions
Graduated from Rutgers University as his class valedictorian in 1919 and earned his law degree from Columbia University Law School in 1922
Began his acting career on the stage in a 1924 performance of Eugene O'Neill's "All God's Chillun Got Wings․"
Made his screen acting debut in the film "Body and Soul" in 1925
Quote: "There's no such thing as a backward human being, there is only a society which says they are backward․"
Best known as an actor, singer, and civil rights activist who played John Zinga in "Song of Freedom" and Brutus Jones in "The Emperor Jones․"
Was also an acclaimed concert singer, with his trademark song being "Ol' Man River․"
Spoke 25 different languages, including Russian, Chinese, and several African languages, which aided him in speaking out against human rights violations in other countries
Was an accomplished football player at Rutgers University, earning back-to-back All-American honors in 1917 and 1918
Was persecuted by Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1940s for his black nationalist and anti-colonialist activities, culminating in his passport being revoked in 1950, leaving him unable to perform abroad

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