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Paul Robeson Biography:
Robeson attended Rutgers University, where he was the only African-American student at the school, and was the class valedictorian. He was hugely athletic and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, retroactively in 1995.
Robeson's career in entertainment began in the 1920s, when he got jobs on the radio and stage as both a singer and actor. He was praised for performances in Othello and Show Boat, the latter which included a role (Joe) written specifically for him, and in which he achieved great acclaim for "Ol' Man River." He would go on to appear in 25 films (visit IMDB for his full filmography).
Throughout the following decades, Robeson rose to considerable fame for his booming baritone, singing gospel and folk songs, until the McCarthy era of the 1950s. He was blacklisted from performing in the States, and barred from traveling overseas to perform. He had always been socially and politically active, and toured Spain during the Spanish Civil War. He openly opposed apartheid in South Africa, as well as the war in Vietnam. He stood up for the causes of labor and civil rights, and was all around an advocate for peace and humanity.
His last major musical performance was in 1965 at a birthday party in his honor, held by Freedomways Quarterly. He retired from entertainment soon after and went to live with his son in New York city, before moving with his sister in Philadelphia.
Paul Robeson died of a stroke in January of 1976, at the age of 77, in Philadelphia. A two-day public memorial took place in Harlem following his death, before funeral services were held at his brother's church in Harlem. His ashes were placed in the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY, with a marker which reads, "The Artist Must Fight For Freedom Or Slavery. I Made My Choice. I Had No Alternative."
