Bill Robinson

Birth Name: Luther Robinson

Date of Birth: May 25, 1878

Place of Birth: Richmond, Virginia, U.S.

Date of Death: November 25, 1949

Place of Death: Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.

Ethnicity: African-American

Bill Robinson, nicknamed “Bojangles,” was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer. He was the highest-paid, and best known, African-American entertainer in the first half of the twentieth century. He began in minstrel shows and vaudeville, eventually moving to music, Broadway, radio, television, and Hollywood, dancing with Shirley Temple. His roles included the films Dixiana, Harlem Is Heaven, The Big Benefit, King for a Day, The Big Broadcast of 1936, The Little Colonel, The Littlest Rebel, In Old Kentucky, Hooray for Love, One Mile from Heaven, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Up the River (1938), Just Around the Corner, and Stormy Weather (1943).

Bill was the son of Maria, a church choir director, and Maxwell Robinson, a machinist. He was raised in Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood. He was brought up by his paternal grandmother after his parents died young.

He was married to Elaine Plaines, until his death.

Bill’s paternal grandmother was named Bedelia/Bedilia Robinson. Bedelia was a former slave.

Source: Genealogy of Bill Robinson – https://www.findagrave.com