Charles Sidney Gilpin facts for kids
Charles Sidney Gilpin (born November 20, 1878 – died May 6, 1930) was a very famous stage actor in the 1920s. He starred in important new plays in New York City. These included the first show of John Drinkwater's Abraham Lincoln in 1919. He also played the main character, Brutus Jones, in the first show of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones in 1920. He even went on tour with this play. In 1920, he made history. He was the first black American to win The Drama League's yearly award. This award honored him as one of the top 10 people who helped American theater that year.
Early Life
Gilpin was born in Richmond, Virginia. His father, Peter Gilpin, worked in a factory. His mother, Caroline White, was a nurse. Charles went to St. Francis School for Colored Children in Richmond. He started working as an apprentice at the Richmond Planet print shop. This was before he found his true calling in theater. He first sang on stage when he was 12 years old. Before becoming a full-time actor, he worked as a printer. He also worked as a pressman at several black newspapers. This was in the late 1880s and 1890s. During this time, he also did some part-time work in vaudeville shows. He married Florence Howard in 1897. They had one son together.
A Star on Stage
In 1896, when he was 18, Gilpin joined a minstrel show. He left Richmond and started traveling for many years. When he wasn't performing, he did odd jobs to earn money. He worked as a printer, a barber, a boxing trainer, and a railroad porter. In 1903, he joined the Canadian Jubilee Singers in Hamilton, Ontario.
In 1905, he began performing with traveling music groups. He also started playing his first serious acting roles in Chicago. He became very good at playing different characters. He performed with Robert T. Motts' Pekin Theater in Chicago for four years. After that, he toured the United States with the Pan-American Octetts. Gilpin also worked with Rogers and Creamer's Old Man's Boy Company in New York. In 1915, Gilpin joined the Anita Bush Players. This group moved from the Lincoln Theater to the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. This was a time when many famous black actors started their careers in New York theater.
In 1916, Gilpin played a memorable role in The Octoroon. He played Jacob McCloskey, a slave owner and villain. Gilpin left Bush's company because of a salary disagreement. But his good reputation helped him get the role of Rev. William Curtis. This was in the 1919 first show of John Drinkwater's Abraham Lincoln.
Gilpin's first show on Broadway led to his role in Eugene O’Neill's The Emperor Jones. He played the main character, Brutus Jones. Critics loved his performance. Writer Hubert Harrison gave him a great review in Negro World. Because of Gilpin's success, The Drama League named him one of the 10 people who did the most for American theater in 1920. He was the first black American to receive this honor. When the League invited Gilpin to their dinner, some people thought it was controversial. But Gilpin accepted. At the dinner, he received a very long standing ovation when he got his award. Gilpin continued to play Brutus Jones in the U.S. tour. However, he later had disagreements with O'Neill.
In 1921, Gilpin received the NAACP's Spingarn Medal. He was also honored at the White House by President Warren G. Harding. A year later, a drama club in Cleveland, the Dumas Dramatic Club, changed its name to the Gilpin Players to honor him. This club is now known as the Karamu Players.
When Gilpin and O'Neill could not agree, O'Neill chose Paul Robeson to play Brutus Jones in the London show instead. In early April 1922, Gilpin became one of the first black performers to act on the radio. He read parts from "The Emperor Jones" on station WGI in Boston.
Charles Gilpin never performed on Broadway again. He died in 1930 in Eldridge Park, New Jersey. His friends arranged his funeral shortly after his death. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
In 1991, 61 years after he died, Gilpin was honored. He was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.
