Frank H. Wilson

Frank H. Wilson
Frank H. Wilson (center) as Porgy, with Percy Verwayne and Evelyn Ellis in the original Broadway production of Porgy (1927)
Born Frank Henry Wilson
(1886-05-04)May 4, 1886
Harlem, New York
Died February 16, 1956(1956-02-16) (aged 69)
Queens, New York
Occupation Actor
Years active 1914–1954

Frank Henry Wilson (May 4, 1886 – February 16, 1956)[1] was an African American Broadway actor who also appeared in films. His father was Thomas M. Wilson. Frank started out in show business in vaudeville and minstrelsy.[2] He appeared in many plays, including the original 1927 version of Porgy with Rose McClendon and Evelyn Ellis. In 1922, he appeared in Eugene O'Neill's play All God's Chillun Got Wings and a revival of O'Neill's The Emperor Jones in 1925.[3]

He made his film debut in 1932 and later played in films that had stage origins: The Emperor Jones (1933) and Warner Bros.' Green Pastures (1936) and Watch on the Rhine (1943). Wilson made his television debut in 1953 before dying in 1956.

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1932 The Girl from Chicago Wade Washington [4]
1933 The Emperor Jones Jeff [4]
1936 The Green Pastures Moses [4]
1940 Paradise in Harlem Lem Anderson Also writer (original story)[4]
1941 Murder on Lenox Avenue Writer (original story)[4]
1941 Sunday Sinners Writer (original story)[4]
1943 Watch on the Rhine Joseph [4]
1946 Beware Professor Drury [4]

References

  1. ↑ Eugene M. Vazzana, Silent Film Necrology, 2nd edition, c.2001, p. 571.
  2. ↑ Who Was Who in the Theatre: 1912-1976, vol. 4 Q-Z, p. 2592, originally published annually by John Parker; this 1976 & final edition compiled by Gale Research Company.
  3. ↑ Stanley Appelbaum, Great Actors & Actresses of the American Stage in Historic Photographs, c. 1983, p. 69.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Frank Wilson". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
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