LEIGH WHIPPER
Born in (1876) Charleston, South Carolina, died (1975) New York City, New York.
The first Black member of the Actors' Equity Association (1913).
Mr. Whipper's first Broadway appearance was in Georgia Minstrels.
He appeared next in the classical Broadway productions of Stevedore, Of Mice and Men, Lysistrata and Porgy.
Mr. Whipper achieved national fame for his characterization of the Crabman of the Catfish Row in Porgy.
He maintained lifelong activity as a member of the Actors Equity Association (1913), American Federation of Radio Artists (1937) and the Screen Actors Guild (1933).
He was a founding member of the Negro Actors Guild of America (1937).
Mr. Whipper retired from the screen and stage in 1972 and settled in Harlem, New York, where he died in 1975 at the age of 98.