Jester Hairston (July 9, 1901 - January 18, 2000) was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor.

Cab Calloway (December 25, 1907-November 18, 1994) was a famous American jazz singer and bandleader. Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the United States' most popular African American big bands from the start of the 1930s through the late 1940s. Calloway's Orchestra featured performers that included trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "Chu" Berry, New Orleans guitar ace Danny Barker, …

Albany Leon Bigard (March 3, 1906 - June 27, 1980) was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, though primarily known for the clarinet. Barney Bigard was born in New Orleans and studied music and clarinet with Lorenzo Tio. He moved to Chicago in the early 1920s, where he worked with "King" Joe Oliver and others. During this period, much of his recording with Oliver and others including clarinetist Johnny Dodds was on tenor saxophone, …

Born in 1899 in Springfield, Massachusetts, character actor Ralph Sanford's parents were both non-pros in the business. An actor and stage manager on the Broadway stage in the early years, he appeared in such productions as "Half a Widow" (1927) and "The Constant Sinner" (1931) and "Between Two Worlds" (1934). Sanford then committed to his first screen work at Vitaphone Pictures with early comedy shorts, often as a burly foil to such established two-reeler comics as Shemp Howard, Fatty...

Brother of Hattie McDaniel. Brother of actress Etta McDaniel.

Widely reported as the original voice of "Tony the Tiger" in Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes commercials in the early 1950s. Kellogg's, however, maintains that Thurl Ravenscroft was always the original voice.

Announcer for many, many movie trailers from the 1940s to the 1960s. Announcer for CBS Radio's "Dr. Christian" (1937, 1942-1954). Announcer for the syndicated radio show "The Adventures of Frank Race" (1949-1952). He was also the unseen announcer for Red Skelton on his television program and for the religious television program of Garner Ted Armstrong called "The World Tomorrow". He is a graduate of Washington State University. An announcing award is given each year in his name. He is...

Lent his voice talent once again to Disney for the Splash Mountain attraction at Disneyland. He supplied the voice of Bre'r Bear for the ride as he did for the animated film "Song of the South" (1946) [1988/1989] Was the last surviving cast member from the early 1950s' series, "The Amos 'n Andy Show" (1951). Stewart died of natural causes December 18, 2000. In 1950, with his wife Edna, founded the Ebony Showcase Theatre in Los Angeles. African-American character actor from...

He was the son of a Puerto Rican seaman. He was self-educated and spent much of his childhood in Brazil singing on the streets to raise money for food. He became an actor after having been a circus performer, radio actor, and vaudeville performer. He worked in the chorus of the 1927 stage production of the musical "Show Boat". Black American film historian Donald Bogle considers Hernandez's early success in films during the early twentieth century to have been an event that paved the way...

A.k.a. The Kissing Bandit

Brother of jazz saxophonist Lester Young.