Perhaps the title here is a bit controversial. Hattie McDaniel was the first black person to win an Oscar, for her turn as the caricatured “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind (1939), and Stepin Fetchit rode the “Laziest Man in the World” character to stardom in the early days of Hollywood. Still, the case for this sobriquet I believe is strongest made for the actor and singer Paul Robeson. Robeson was always more of a personality than an actor. Whether he was playing Othello, an Africa warlord, or a day labourer, he was always recognizably himself - he never lost himself in characters in the way that we consider “acting”. With his 6’3 height and athletic build, he was always instantly recognisable - to say nothing of his distinctive voice, a rich bass baritone that has often been imitated, but never equaled by subsequent performers. Despite not being a classically trained actor, it was through his persistence in making sure that Black characters were portrayed with
Malcolm Coates