Eddie Leonard
Eddie Leonard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Lemuel Golden Toney October 17, 1870 |
| Died | July 29, 1941 (aged 70) |
| Occupation | Stage actor |
Eddie Leonard (October 17, 1870 – July 29, 1941), born Lemuel Golden Toney, was a vaudevillian and a man considered the greatest American minstrel of his day, at a time when minstrel shows were an acceptable and popular mainstream entertainment in the United States.[1] He was called "last of the great minstrels" in his 1941 obituary in Time.[2] He performed in vaudeville for 45 years before that medium faded in the 1920s, and was known for such songs as "" and "Roly Boly Eyes". He published his memoir titled What a Life I'm Telling You in 1934.
Partial filmography[]
- Melody Lane (1929)
- If I Had My Way (1940)
References[]
- ^ Watkins, Mel (1994). On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying—The Underground Tradition of African-American Humor that Transformed American Culture, from Slavery to Richard Pryor. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 133.
- ^ "Minstrel's End". Time. August 11, 1941. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
External links[]
Media related to Eddie Leonard at Wikimedia Commons- Eddie Leonard at IMDb
- Eddie Leonard at the Internet Broadway Database
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- 1870 births
- 1941 deaths
- 19th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- Male actors from Richmond, Virginia
- Vaudeville performers
- American theatre actor, 19th-century birth stubs
- American film actor, 1870s birth stubs