Paul Robeson- Singer, actor and international star. Talent wins out over .
Although now often overlooked because of his political beliefs, Paul Robeson was a twentieth-century Renaissance man, excelling as a scholar, athlete, actor, and singer. His stage credits included 1924’s All God’s Chillun Got Wings, the 1925 revival of The Emperor Jones, the 1928 British production of Show Boat, and the long-running 1943 Broadway production of Othello. In 1930, on the stage of London’s Savoy Theatre, Paul Robeson became the first black actor to portray Othello since Ira Aldridge took the part in 1825. In 1943, when Robeson played the Moor of Venice on Broadway, the production had a record-breaking run followed by a lengthy North American tour.