Negro Actors Guild of America
Encyclopedia
Negro Actors Guild of America
(NAG) was established in 1937 to create better opportunities for black actors during a period in America
where the country was at a crossroads regarding how its citizens of color would be depicted in film, television and the stage. Originating in New York
, post the Great Depression
during the height of the Harlem Renaissance
, NAG sought to eliminate the stereotyping of African Americans in theatrical and cinematic performances. The first such organization of its kind in the United States
, NAG also stressed the need for more realistic roles for people of color, helped foster the skills of African American actors, and worked to generate more acting opportunities for blacks.
Fredi Washington
, a black stage and film actress, who was resentful of the limitations of African Americans in the film industry, brought together a talented, diverse group of artists from stage and screen. Members included Noble Sissle
, an African-American jazz
composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer and playwright.W.C. Handy, an African-American blues
composer
and musician widely known as the "Father of the Blues", vaudeville novelty act performer Alan Corelli, Leigh Whipper, the first African-American member of the Actors' Equity Association
, and Dick Campbell
, a key figure in theater and a tireless advocate for black actors in general.
Noble Sissle served as the organization’s first president, while Washington served as the Guild’s executive director and secretary. Washington dedicated much of her life to the organization, even sacrificing her acting career for the advancement and prosperity of the Guild. Leigh Whipper succeeded Sissle in 1957 as the Guild’s president. He later caused some controversy when he accused Otto Preminger
, the director for the film, Porgy and Bess
, of discriminating against African Americans.
The Guild served as one of the primary financial and social resources for African American entertainers. It provided health care, arranged transportation and hotel accommodations, and financed funeral services for the black thespian community. Much of the funding for the Negro Actors Guild came from the Federal Theater Authority and internal fundraising. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was instrumental in fundraising efforts, often performing in benefit concerts on Broadway
for the Guild. Robinson later served as the Guild’s first honorary president
By the early 1940s, the Guild had more than seven hundred members. Among their famous members were Hattie McDaniel
, Ethel Waters
, Bert Williams
, and Lena Horne
. By the 1970s, the organization slowly faded as the film and theater industries became increasingly integrated.
Negro Actors Guild of America
Negro Actors Guild of America was established in 1937 to create better opportunities for black actors during a period in America where the country was at a crossroads regarding how its citizens of color would be depicted in film, television and the stage...
(NAG) was established in 1937 to create better opportunities for black actors during a period in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where the country was at a crossroads regarding how its citizens of color would be depicted in film, television and the stage. Originating in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, post the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
during the height of the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
, NAG sought to eliminate the stereotyping of African Americans in theatrical and cinematic performances. The first such organization of its kind in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, NAG also stressed the need for more realistic roles for people of color, helped foster the skills of African American actors, and worked to generate more acting opportunities for blacks.
Fredi Washington
Fredi Washington
Fredericka Carolyn "Fredi" Washington was an accomplished dramatic film actress, most active in the 1920s- 1930s. Fredi was a self-proclaimed Black woman, who chose to be identified as such, and wished for others to do so as well...
, a black stage and film actress, who was resentful of the limitations of African Americans in the film industry, brought together a talented, diverse group of artists from stage and screen. Members included Noble Sissle
Noble Sissle
Noble Sissle was an American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer and playwright.-Early life:...
, an African-American jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer and playwright.W.C. Handy, an African-American blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and musician widely known as the "Father of the Blues", vaudeville novelty act performer Alan Corelli, Leigh Whipper, the first African-American member of the Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
, and Dick Campbell
Dick Campbell
the folk singer-songwriter and film producer|Dick Campbell |Richard "Dick" Campbell is a Scottish association football manager and former player...
, a key figure in theater and a tireless advocate for black actors in general.
Noble Sissle served as the organization’s first president, while Washington served as the Guild’s executive director and secretary. Washington dedicated much of her life to the organization, even sacrificing her acting career for the advancement and prosperity of the Guild. Leigh Whipper succeeded Sissle in 1957 as the Guild’s president. He later caused some controversy when he accused Otto Preminger
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
, the director for the film, Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
, of discriminating against African Americans.
The Guild served as one of the primary financial and social resources for African American entertainers. It provided health care, arranged transportation and hotel accommodations, and financed funeral services for the black thespian community. Much of the funding for the Negro Actors Guild came from the Federal Theater Authority and internal fundraising. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was instrumental in fundraising efforts, often performing in benefit concerts on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
for the Guild. Robinson later served as the Guild’s first honorary president
By the early 1940s, the Guild had more than seven hundred members. Among their famous members were Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind ....
, Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha",...
, Bert Williams
Bert Williams
Egbert Austin "Bert" Williams was one of the preeminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920...
, and Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
. By the 1970s, the organization slowly faded as the film and theater industries became increasingly integrated.