If Paul Robeson glorious bass voice was his only claim to fame, he would still be considered one of the greatest talents of his generation but the singer and actor also boast of a brilliant legal mind, spoke more than 20 languages, and was described as “the greatest ever to trot the gridiron” when he played college football.
As an African-American, Robeson battle prejudice and discrimination all his life. He refused to conform to racial stereotypes and he’s always outspoken when he saw injustice. In 1919, he graduated from Rutgers University as class valedictorian and moved to New York to study law.
During his studies Robeson supported his wife and son by playing professional football.
The Ultimate, his acting debut and discovered the perfect way to push the boundaries of America’s segregated society. As the lead in Eugene O'Neill's “All God's Chillun Got Wings”, he received death threats from the Ku Klux Klan because a white actress kissed his hand in a play.
After quitting a law firm because a white secretary refused to take dictation from him, Robeson went into an acting fulltime. His brilliant performances in play such as “Emperor Jones” and “Rosanne” attracted wide attention and he constantly gave a Provincetown play house in 1925 was so impressive it was out of the recording contract.
In 1928, Robeson performed in the London production of Jerome Kern, “Show Boat” where his rendition of “Old Man River” became an instant classic, dubbed “The King of Holland” and the idol of his people. African-Americans were inspired by Robeson’s excellence. He followed “Show Boat” up with the memorable version of “Othello” on the London stage, the role he reprised 10 years later in the United States.
In the 1930’s, Robeson starred in the film version of “Emperor Jones” and was featured in several movies including “King Solomon’s Mines” and “Song of Freedom” but his film career was constrained by the lack of role for a black actor other than slave or servant. During this decade Robeson became politically active, campaigning for radical causes in Africa and to the United States and Spain. A visit to the Soviet Union impressed him so much he became a staunch supporter of Communism. “Here for the first time in my life I walked in full human dignity” he said of the trip and continued to support the Soviet government even after styling in his bloody purges became public knowledge.
Robeson was at the height of his popularity by the 1940s but within a few years the Cold War within the World War II Soviet-American alliance and Robeson fell out of favor with mainstream America. A series of rivals disrupted some of his concerts and the sponsors to drop him. NBC cancelled his scheduled appearance on the television program, “Today with Mrs. Roosevelt” and the American government confiscated his passport when he refused to give a guarantee that he will not give political speeches in his travels to Europe.
His great performances on film, television and records were withdrawn from distribution, and the entertainment industry attempted to distance itself from the controversial star. However, Robeson refused to be calm and continued to speak out about the issues that concerned him even as many black activists shunned them worried that his unpopularity would impair their court.
In 1958, Robeson’s autobiography, “Here I Stand” was published. The same year the Supreme Court ordered that the American government had no right to refuse to issue a passport because it disagreed with the citizen’s political beliefs. Robeson moved to Britain and travel the world giving performances but began to suffer health problems.
In 1963, he attempted suicide while in Moscow. His son claimed he had done this while under the influence of hallucinogenic drug secretly administered by the CIA. Robeson died in 1976 aged 77. Two years later his films were finally shown on American television.
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