List of entertainers who performed in blackface
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of entertainers known to have performed in blackface makeup, whether in a minstrel show, as satire or historical depiction of such roles, or in a portrayal of a character using makeup as a racial disguise, for whatever reason.
A–C
- Roy Acuff, country music singer, performed in blackface in 1930s-40s traveling medicine shows[1]
- Scarlet Adams[2]
- Anne of Denmark, Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland, in The Masque of Blackness[3]
- Ant and Dec, in old Saturday Night Takeaway sketches[4]
- Fred Armisen, impersonating U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live in 2008 and 2009[5]
- Clarence Ashley, 1910s-1940s singer and blackface comedian in traveling medicine shows[6]
- Fred Astaire, in Swing Time (1936)[7] and in Easter Parade (1948)
- Gene Autry[6]
- Dan Aykroyd, in Trading Places (1983)[8]
- David Baddiel, while portraying Jason Lee on a 1995 episode of Fantasy Football League[9]
- Rita Baga[10]
- Marcus "Buff" Bagwell, while performing for World Championship Wrestling[11]
- Fay Bainter, as Topsy in a 1933 production of Uncle Tom's Cabin
- Milt G. Barlow, 19th-century American minstrel[12]
- Ethel Barrymore, in the 1930 play Scarlet Sister Mary[13]
- Billy Barty, in Roman Scandals (1933)[14] and Rabbit Test (1978)
- Milton Berle in film Always Leave 'Em Laughing (1949) [6]
- Jack Black, in Be Kind Rewind (2008)[15]
- Sergei Bondarchuk, in Othello (1956)
- John Boulter, lead singer of the long-running Black and White Minstrel Show on the BBC[16]: 248
- Zach Braff, in the Scrubs episodes "My Friend the Doctor" and "My Chopped Liver"[17]
- Frank Brower, 1840s-1860s minstrel performer[18]
- David Byrne, in a promotional video for Stop Making Sense (1984)[19]
- George Burns[6]
- Butterbeans and Susie[20]
- John Byner, in season 3, episode 1 of Soap[21][22]
- Eddie Cantor, 1912-1927 performances in vaudeville and Ziegfeld Follies[23]
- Luke Carroll, an Aboriginal Australian actor, wore blackface in a dream sequence featured in the movie Stone Bros.
- Judy Carne, in a 1969 episode of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In[24][25]
- Graham Chapman[26]
- Dave Chappelle, in a 2006 episode of Chappelle's Show[27]
- George Christy, born George Harrington but became a star with Christy's Minstrels in the 1840s[16]: 8
- J. A. Coburn[28]
- Charles Correll[20]
- Bing Crosby,[29] in Dream House (1932), Mississippi (1935), Road to Singapore (1940), Holiday Inn (1942), Dixie (1943), and Here Come the Waves (1944)
- Billy Crystal, in the "Negro Leagues" skit on Saturday Night Live in 1984 and whenever impersonating Sammy Davis Jr., including at the 84th Academy Awards.[30]
D–G
- Roger Daltrey in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Living Legend".[31]
- Ted Danson, at a 1993 Friars Club roast of his then-girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg[32]
- Tommy Davidson in the 2000 film Bamboozled[33]
- Marion Davies in Going Hollywood (1933)[34][35]
- Shane Dawson, YouTuber, actor, and comedian[36]
- Neil Diamond in The Jazz Singer[37]
- Thomas Dilward, 1850s-1870s dwarf minstrel performer[38]
- George Washington Dixon, 1820s-1830s stage performer[39]
- Lew Dockstader, 1870s-1900s minstrel performer[40]
- Roma Downey in an episode of the television series Touched By An Angel entitled “Black Like Monica”, the character is turned black to better empathize with a community dealing with racial tensions.[41]
- Robert Downey Jr. in the 2008 film Tropic Thunder[42]
- Drake, during a 2007 photo shoot with photographer David Leyes, with one of the photos being used as the cover of Pusha-T's diss track, The Story of Adidon[43]
- Jimmy Durante[29]
- Issi Dye, singer and Al Jolson impersonator[44][45]
- Harry Enfield, impersonating Nelson Mandela in the television show Harry & Paul,[46] and playing Norbert Smith playing Nelson Mandela in Norbert Smith: A Life.
- The Ethiopian Serenaders, a Boston minstrel troupe who performed at the White House in 1844 and then toured Britain.[47]
- Jimmy Fallon, impersonating Chris Rock on Saturday Night Live[48]
- Benny Fine of the Fine Brothers, in a two-parter Degrassi parody by Shane Dawson where he plays the character of Connor DeLaurier[49]
- Edwin Forrest[50]
- Dai Francis, lead singer of the long-running Black and White Minstrel Show on the BBC[51]
- Leigh Francis[52]
- The Frogs, in the artwork for their album Racially Yours and in their stage attire for the accompanying tour.[53]
- Judy Garland in Babes in Arms[54]
- George Givot, in the play The Constant Sinner (1931)[55]
- Freeman Gosden[20]
- Billy Gould (1869–1950)[56]
- Savion Glover in the 2000 film Bamboozled[33]
H–L
- Bill Hader, while impresonating Al Pacino acting as Dr. Conrad Murray in a biopic on a skit for Saturday Night Live[57]
- Sam Hague[58]
- Masatoshi Hamada, while impersonating Eddie Murphy from the film Beverly Hills Cop for the 2017 New Year's Eve special of Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!![59]
- Jon Hamm on an episode of 30 Rock[60]
- Goldie Hawn, in a 1969 episode of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In[24][25]
- Bob Height[58]
- Al Herman[61]
- Charles Hicks[58]
- Ernest Hogan[20]
- C. Thomas Howell in the 1986 movie Soul Man[62]
- William A. Huntley[63] Starting 1860. Moved to whiteface in mid-1880s.
- Dick Powell performed in blackface while singing Al Jolson's "Sonny Boy" in Hard to Get (1938)[64][65]
- George Jessel[6]
- Al Jolson[29]
- Louis Jordan[29]
- Buster Keaton, in vaudeville[20] in the short film Neighbors (1920), possibly with satiric intent: he alternates in and out of blackface, receiving a very different reaction from a policeman;[66] also in The Playhouse (1921) and College (1927)
- Billy Kersands, 1880s-1900s minstrel performer[67]
- Jimmy Kimmel, impersonating Karl Malone and Oprah Winfrey on The Man Show[68][69]
- Jane Krakowski twice on 30 Rock[60]
- Wallace King, 1880s minstrel performer[70]
- Joey Lawrence, in season 4, episode 11 of Gimme a Break!,[71] an episode criticizing blackface
- Jennie Lee, in the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation[72]
- Francis Leon, 1870s-80s minstrel performer[73]
- Eddie Leonard, 1890s-1930s minstrel performer, "last of the great minstrels"[20]
- Paul Levesque[74]
- Chris Lilley as Jonah Takalua and S.mouse[75][76]
- Walter Long, in the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation[77][78]
- Sophia Loren in Aida (1953)[79]
- Peter Lorre, in the play Weisse Fracht[80]
- Matt Lucas, multiple characters in Little Britain, Precious Little in Come Fly with Me[81]
- Sam Lucas, 1870s minstrel performer[82]
M–R
- Robert Mandan, in season 3, episode 1 of Soap[21]
- Jenna Marbles, in a now-deleted 2011 YouTube video where she impersonates Nicki Minaj[83]
- Pigmeat Markham, performer in 1920s-1950s traveling shows, as well as The Ed Sullivan Show and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In[84]
- Rob McElhenney on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, portraying the character of Mac, a white man portraying the character Roger Murtaugh from the Lethal Weapon franchise in a fanmade home movie
- Joni Mitchell appeared as black dandy "Art Nouveau" at a party, then on the cover of Don Juan's Reckless Daughter in 1977 and on numerous occasions throughout the 1980s[85] (see Joni Mitchell blackface controversy)
- Emmett Miller,[58] an important influence on early country stars like Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills
- Flournoy E. Miller[20]
- Irvin C. Miller[20]
- David Mitchell, in season 1, episode 1 of That Mitchell and Webb Look[86]
- Clayton McMichen[1]
- Bill Monroe[1]
- Moran and Mack[20]
- Herbert Wassell Nadal (1873–1957)[87]
- Cornelius J. O'Brien (1869–1954)[88]
- Laurence Olivier in Othello (1965)[89]
- Kaitlin Olson on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, portraying the character of Deandra Reynolds, a white woman portraying a black character in a fanmade home movie based on the Lethal Weapon franchise
- Pat Paulsen doing a deadpan condemnation of ethnic humor on The Merv Griffin Show, but it wasn't aired
- Richard Pelham[58]
- Arthur Petersen, in season 3, episode 1 of Soap[21]
- Larry Parks, in the 1946 film The Jolson Story[90]
- Thomas D. Rice[58]
- Jimmie Rodgers[1]
- Mickey Rooney in Babes in Arms (1939)[91]
- Benny Rubin[58]
S–Z
- Harry Scott of the comedy duo Scott and Whaley, an African American act working in Britain.[92]
- Ramblin' Tommy Scott[93]
- George Siegmann in character as Silas Lynch in The Birth of a Nation (1915)[94]
- Sarah Silverman, in episode "Face Wars" (2007) of The Sarah Silverman Program[95]
- Frank Sinatra, in the Major Bowes short The Big Minstrel (1935) and Ocean's Eleven (1960)[96]
- Grace Slick, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1968) and Teen Set magazine (1969)[97][98][99]
- Bessie Smith[29]
- Hobart Smith[6]
- Mel Smith in season 2, episode 4, of Not the Nine O'Clock News (sketch "Gone With The Wind", April 1980)
- Howard Stern in a series of 1991 skits as Clarence Thomas and in a 1993 New Year's Eve special[100]
- Bert Swor (1878–1943)[101]
- Magda Szubanski, in various sketches for the Australian TV series, Fast Forward, most notably as the housemaid in a parody of Gone With the Wind.[102]
- Shirley Temple in The Littlest Rebel[16]
- Frank Tinney, in vaudeville and Broadway musical comedies[103]
- The Three Stooges[104]
- Lily Tomlin, as R&B singer Pervis Hawkins on CBS special and Saturday Night Live. [105]
- Sophie Tucker[106]
- Tracey Ullman, in a 1989 episode of The Tracey Ullman Show[107]
- Ben Vereen, as a part of the 1981 inaugural celebrations for US President Ronald Reagan[108]
- Glen Vernon Actor who performed in blackface in Hollywood Varieties (1950) with fellow actor Edward Ryan[109]
- Vladimir Vysotsky, as Abram Gannibal in How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor
- Ted Waldman, comedy harmonica player[110]
- David Walliams, as a minstrel, and as character Desiree Devere in Little Britain[81]
- George Walker[20]
- Sean Waltman[111]
- Robert Webb[112]
- Betty White, in The Golden Girls[113][114]
- Billy Whitlock[58]
- Gene Wilder in Silver Streak[115]
- Barney Williams[116]
- Bert Williams[58]
- Hank Williams[29]
- Slim Williams[117]
- Bob Wills[1]
- Tom Wilson[58]
- Jane Withers in Can This Be Dixie?
- Jo Anne Worley, in a 1969 episode of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In[24][25]
Fictional characters who were depicted in blackface
- Bugs Bunny, in the 1942 cartoon Fresh Hare[118]
- Mickey Mouse, in the 1933 cartoon Mickey's Mellerdrammer[119]
- Tom and Jerry (Van Beuren), Not to be confused with the cat and mouse duo. appeared in blackface in 'Plane Dumb' (1932)[120]
- Smith Family Stan, Steve, Hayley and Francine Smith appeared in blackface in 2007 American Dad! episode 'An Apocalypse to Remember'[121]
- Eric Cartman, Depicted in blackface in 1999 movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut[122] and in episodes of South Park[123]
- Tom and Jerry, appeared in blackface in 'The Yankee Doodle Mouse' (1943)[124] 'The Milky Waif' (1946)[125] 'Mouse Cleaning' (1948) and 'Casanova Cat' (1951)[126]
- Dirty Dick, Used blackface in a recreation of The Black and White Minstrel Show in the 1972 Dandy Annual
- Sylvester the Cat, appeared in blackface in 'I Taw a Putty Tat' (1948)[127]
- Lyons Tea Minstrels mascots of Lyons Tea. Discontinued sometime in the 1990s[128]
- Ling-Ling, In Foxxy Vs. The Board Of Education (2005)[129][130]