Person
Leigh Whipper
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Leigh Rollin Whipper (October 29, 1876 – July 26, 1975) was an American actor on the stage and in motion pictures. He was the first African…
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Leigh Rollin Whipper (October 29, 1876 – July 26, 1975) was an American actor on the stage and in motion pictures. He was the first African American to join the Actors' Equity Association, and one of the founders of the Negro Actors Guild of America. He is best known for creating the role of Crooks in the original Broadway production of Of Mice and Men, which he reprised in the 1939 film version. Educated at Howard University Law School, he left in 1895 and never practiced as a lawyer. Without any dramatic training, he made his first Broadway appearance in Georgia Minstrels. His first film role was in the 1920 silent film The Symbol of the Unconquered. During the Second World War, Whipper was a member of the steering committee of Negro Division the Hollywood Victory Committee.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
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2026
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Movie Self (archival footage)
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1957
The Young Don't Cry
Movie Doosy
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1955
The Shrike
Movie Mr. Carlisle
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1947
Untamed Fury
Movie Uncle Gabe
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1946
Undercurrent
Movie George
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1946
Young Widow
Movie Nate (Uncredited)
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1945
The Negro Sailor
Movie Editor
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1945
The Hidden Eye
Movie Alistair
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1944
Dark Waters
Movie Office Custodian (uncredited)
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1943
Happy Land
Movie Old Ben (uncredited)
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1943
Mission to Moscow
Movie Haile Selassie (uncredited)
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1943
The Ox-Bow Incident
Movie Sparks (uncredited)
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1942
White Cargo
Movie Jim Fish
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1942
Heart of the Golden West
Movie Rango
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1942
The Vanishing Virginian
Movie Uncle Josh
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1941
Bahama Passage
Movie Morales
More credits
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1941
King of the Zombies
Movie Momba
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1941
Road to Zanzibar
Movie Scarface
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1941
Virginia
Movie Ezechial
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1941
Robin Hood of the Pecos
Movie Kezeye
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1939
Of Mice and Men
Movie Crooks
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1920
The Symbol of the Unconquered: A Story of the Ku Klux Klan
Movie Tugi - an Indian Fakir
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1920
Within Our Gates
Movie
