Paul Robeson

Paul Leroy Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an extraordinary polymath: a bass‑baritone singer, actor, athlete, lawyer, and political activist whose influence spanned continents. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, he was the youngest of five children of Maria Louisa Bustill, a schoolteacher, and William Drew Robeson, a former slave turned minister. Excelling academically and athletically, Robeson earned a scholarship to Rutgers University in 1915. There, he was the university's first Black football player, twice a consensus All‑American, held fifteen varsity letters, spoke fluently in more than twenty languages, and graduated valedictorian in 1919. He briefly pursued law at Columbia University, earning an LL.B. in 1923. Turning from law to the arts, Robeson emerged as a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Breakthrough roles included Eugene O'Neill's All God's Chillun Got Wings (1924) and The Emperor Jones (1925), both critically acclaimed. His commanding performances in Shakespeare's Othello—first in London (1930) and later on Broadway (1943)—broke racial barriers and achieved record-breaking runs. A gifted singer, Robeson popularized Negro spirituals and introduced the world to 'Ol' Man River' in Show Boat (1928 stage, 1936 film), transforming it into an anthem of resistance. On screen, his roles in Body and Soul (1925), Sanders of the River (1935), Jericho (1937), and others projected dignity and intelligence for Black characters. Robeson devoted his life to activism: anti‑racism, labor rights, anti‑fascism, civil liberties, and anti‑colonialism. He supported Spanish Republican fighters, Welsh miners, and Soviet workers. His outspoken leftist views led to McCarthy‑era persecution: his passport was revoked from 1950 to 1958, he was surveilled by the FBI, blacklisted in the U.S., and silenced domestically. Author of Here I Stand (1958), Robeson left a legacy as a courageous artist-activist. He was later honored posthumously with a Grammy, induction in Rutgers' Centennial Remembrance, and the creation of the Actors' Equity Paul Robeson Award. Robeson died in Philadelphia in 1976, but his voice—from the athletic field to the concert hall to the stage and global political stage—continues to inspire generations worldwide.