and John Henry.In London he appeared in the title
role in productions of William Shakespeare’s Othello.
Robeson’s talents made it inevitable that he
would soon appear in films. He made his debut in
Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul(1924). He then
appeared in nationally circulated films such as The
Emperor Jones, Showboat, King Solomon’s Mines, The
Proud Valley, Jericho,and Tales of Manhattan.
In addition to his stellar career as a stage and
film actor, Robeson also excelled as a singer. He was
a member of the Harmony Kings, an acclaimed
quartet that joined the successful Shuffle Alongmu-
sical company organized by Eubie Blake and Noble
Sissle, during the summer of 1921. In April 1925 he
appeared with pianist Lawrence Brown, whom he
met while performing in Othelloin London, to per-
form in the first American concert of African-
American music by solo artists. The concert at the
Greenwich Village Theatre earned substantial ac-
colades, and audience enthusiasm prompted the
two to appear in a repeat performance.
In the years after the Harlem Renaissance,
Robeson became increasingly outspoken about
civil rights and labor issues. He supported the
World War II effort by giving concerts as part of
the United Service Organization and also sang pa-
triotic songs on the radio. In 1945 the NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION FOR THEADVANCEMENT OFCOL-
ORED PEOPLE awarded Robeson the SPINGARN
MEDAL, the organization’s most prestigious prize.
Robeson, who spoke some 20 languages and was
motivated to study them in order to strengthen
bonds with peoples across cultures, came under
siege after World War II, however. His activities
were scrutinized by the Federal Bureau of Investi-
gation, and he was summoned to appear before
Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-
American Activities Committee in 1946. He was
branded a communist and blacklisted as a per-
former. Four years later, in 1950, the State Depart-
ment revoked his passport in response to his
support for the Soviet Union, where he had en-
joyed a rousing welcome in 1934. After a success-
ful suit against the federal government, he won his
passport back in 1958. That year, he reappeared on
stage at Carnegie Hall before going to perform in
Europe and in the Soviet Union.
Paul Robeson relocated to PHILADELPHIAafter
the death of his wife, Eslanda. He died there in
January 1976 at age 77.
Bibliography
Boyle, Sheila Tully, and Andrew Buni. Paul Robeson: The
Years of Promise and Achievement.Amherst: Univer-
sity of Massachusetts Press, 2001.
Duberman, Martin. Paul Robeson. New York: Knopf,
1989.
Paul Robeson Papers, Robeson Family Archives, Moor-
land Spingarn Research Center, Howard University.
Robeson, Paul. Here I Stand. Boston: Beacon Press,
1958.
Robeson, Paul, Jr. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An
Artist’s Journey, 1898–1939.New York: J. Wiley,
2001.
Robeson, Susan. The Whole World in His Hands: A Picto-
rial Biography of Paul Robeson.Seacaucus, N.J.:
Citadel Press, 1981.
Robeson, Paul 457
Paul Robeson, actor and activist (Yale Collection
of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and
Manuscript Library)