Mercedes Gilbert

Mercedes Gilbert ((1894-07-26)July 26, 1894 – (1952-03-01)March 1, 1952) was an African-American actress, novelist, and poet.[1]

Mercedes Gilbert
BornJuly 26, 1894
Jacksonville, Florida
DiedMarch 1, 1952 (aged 57)
New York City
Years active1921-1950

Early life and education

Gilbert was a native of Jacksonville, Florida. She attended Edward Waters College, where she originally trained to be a nurse before coming to New York and entering the entertainment profession, first as a songwriter and then as a stage actress.[2]

Career

Gilbert was known for playing Zipporah, the wife of Moses, in the original touring production of The Green Pastures in 1930.[3] She was still performing in 1950, appearing on Broadway in a new version of the play "Tobacco Road," with an all-black cast.[4] In the mid-1940s, she performed a one-woman show at historically black colleges across the United States.[5]

Gilbert appeared on screen four times: first, The Call of His People in 1921, then Body and Soul in 1925, Moon Over Harlem in 1939 as Jackie's mother, and finally in the episode "The Green Dress" of the TV series Lights Out. She also appeared on radio, most notably in a 1943 tribute to black women in America called "Heroines in Bronze," where she played the role of Sojourner Truth.[6] She performed occasionally on other radio programs, as well as writing and producing several radio skits.

In addition, Gilbert was the author of a 1938 novel, Aunt Sara's Wooden God.[7]

Death

Gilbert died at age 57 in 1952 in Queens General Hospital in New York after a three-week illness. She was survived by her husband, Arthur J. Stevenson, and a brother, Earl Gough, who was also an actor.[8]

References
  1. "Radio Artist to Appear in Recital Here." (Little Rock) Arkansas State Press, November 26, 1943, p. 1.
  2. "Mercedes Gilbert, Stage, Radio Actress." New York Times, March 6, 1952, p. 31.
  3. J. Brooks Atkinson, "New Negro Drama of Sublime Beauty." New York Times, February 27, 1930, p. 20.
  4. Sam Zolotow, "Stage Committee Aims to Continue." New York Times, March 3, 1950, p. 20.
  5. "Another Talent," Wichita (KS) Negro Star, December 7, 1945, p. 1.
  6. "Footlight Flickers." Kansas City (KS) Plain Dealer, April 2, 1943, p. 6.
  7. "Latest Books Received." New York Times, October 30, 1938, p. 36.
  8. "Mercedes Gilbert, Noted Actress, Buried In N.Y." Baltimore Afro-American. March 15, 1952. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
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