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Line 1: − '''Paul Robeson''' was an [[African American]] singer and actor. '''Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson''' (April 9, 1898–January 23, 1976) was an American [[actor]] of film and stage, [[All-American]] and professional [[sportsperson|athlete]], [[writer]], multi-lingual [[orator]], [[lawyer]], and ''[[basso profondo]]'' concert singer who was also noted for his wide-ranging support of Communist countries and anti-imperialism. A forerunner of the [[civil rights]] movement, Robeson was a [[trades union]] [[activist]], [[peace activist]], [[Phi Beta Kappa Society]] laureate, and a recipient of the [[Spingarn Medal]] and [[Stalin Peace Prize]]. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
adding pro-America and Christian singing PR did prior to marxism
'''Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson''' (April 9, 1898–January 23, 1976) was an American [[actor]] of film and stage, All-American and professional [[athelet]], [[writer]], multi-lingual [[orator]], [[lawyer]], and ''basso profondo'' concert singer who was also noted for his wide-ranging support of socialism, Communist countries and anti-imperialism. A forerunner of the [[civil rights]] movement, Robeson was a trades union [[activist]], [[peace activist]], [[Phi Beta Kappa Society]] laureate, and a recipient of the [[Spingarn Medal]] and [[Stalin Peace Prize]]. His outspoken beliefs and friendships with Communist countries lead to his passport beingb lifted during most of the 1950's under the Mcacareen Act.
==Career in entertainment before support of Marxism==
In the 1920s, Robeson found fame as an actor and singing star of both stage and radio with his [[Bass (vocal range)|bass]] voice and commanding presence. He was one of the few true basses in American music, with his beautiful and powerful voice descending as low as C below the bass clef. In addition to his stage performances, his renditions of old spirituals were acclaimed for there beauty in singing and Christian lyricism. Robeson and his accompanist and arranger Lawrence Brown were the first to bring them to the concert stage. Paul Robeson also recorded over a hundred songs, making him first black actor to attempt to play roles which had dignity and stressed African pride.
His first roles were in 1922 playing Simon in ''Simon the Cyrenian'' at the Harlem YMCA and Jim in ''Taboo'' at the Sam Harris Theater in Harlem. ''Taboo'' was later re-named ''Vodoo''<!--"Voodoo"?-->. He was acclaimed for his 1924 performance in the title role of Eugene O'Neill's ''The Emperor Jones''in 1920.
===''Othello'' and ''Showboat''===
{{main|Ol' Man River}}
In 1930 Robeson starred in the title role in [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Othello]]'' in [[England]], when no U.S. company would employ him for the part. [[Peggy Ashcroft]] co-starred as [[Desdemona]]. He would reprise the role in New York in 1943, and tour the U.S. with it until 1945. His Broadway run of ''Othello'' is still, as of 2009, the longest of any Shakespeare play. He won the [[Spingarn Medal]] in 1945 for his portrayal of Othello. For the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production [[Uta Hagen]] played Desdemona, and [[José Ferrer]] played Iago. Robeson's final portrayal of Othello in 1959 at [[The Royal Shakespeare Company]] in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] was directed by [[Tony Richardson]] and also proved to be his theatrical [[swan song]].
Robeson also played the role of Joe, which was written for him, in the 1928 London production of ''[[Show Boat]]'', and repeated his performance in the 1932 Broadway revival of the show, the 1936 film version, and a 1940 [[Los Angeles]] stage production. His rendition of "[[Ol' Man River]]" is widely considered the definitive version of the song with Robeson making alterations to the lyrics to transform it from a song of black lament to one of defiance and perseverance.<ref>Robeson, Susan. ''A Pictorial Biography of Paul Robeson: The Whole World in His Hands'', 1981, pg 37</ref>
===Hollywood and international film career===
Robeson's earliest surviving film is 1924's ''Body and Soul'' a silent film directed by Oscar Micheaux in which Robeson played a preacher with a split personality.
At the height of his popularity in the 1930s, Robeson became a major box office attraction in British films such as ''[[Song of Freedom (movie)|Song of Freedom]]'' and ''[[The Proud Valley]]''. Briefly returning to the US he reprised his title role in [[Dudley Murphy]]'s film version of [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[The Emperor Jones]]'' in 1933.
The 1936 [[Universal Pictures]] film ''Show Boat'' was a box office hit for Robeson, and the most frequently shown and highly acclaimed of all his films. His performance of "Ol' Man River" for this film was particularly notable. He was also King Umbopa in the 1937 version of ''King Solomon's Mines''.
===Ballad for Americans===
After a return from Europe in 1939, Robeson quickly became the voice of the nation when he performed ''Music of the United States|American' patriotic [[cantata]] with lyrics by [[John La Touche (musician)|John La Touche]] and music by [[Earl Robinson]]. Originally titled ''The Ballad for [[Uncle Sam]]'', it was written for a [[Works Progress Administration]] theatre project called ''[[Sing for Your Supper]]''.<ref>Online notes from 2005 [http://www.lafayette.edu/webdata/robeson/audio.html Paul Robeson Conference] at Lafayette College. Accessed 31 January 2006. </ref> Robeson performed "Ballad" on the [[CBS]] radio network in 1943, accompanied by chorus and orchestra. [[Bing Crosby]] would also record a commercially successful recording of the piece but the song is almost always associated with Robeson as it represents the pinnacle of his music and radio career prior to the [[Cold War]]<ref name=Duberman241>Duberman, Martin. ''Paul Robeson'', 1989, pg 241. </ref>He would perform it at [[The Hollywood Bowl]] to the largest sold-out crowd in its history.<ref name=Duberman241 />
===Communist Party membership rumors===
===Communist Party membership rumors===