Evelyn Preer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Evelyn Preer
Publicity photo of Preer (1923)
Born	Evelyn Jarvis (1896-07-26)July 26, 1896 Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	November 17, 1932(1932-11-17) (aged 36) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1919–1932
Spouse(s)	Frank Preer ​ ​ (m. 1915; div. 1923)​ Edward Thompson ​ (m. 1924)​
Children	1

Evelyn Preer (born Evelyn Jarvis; July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932) was an amazing American actress and singer. She was a pioneer in both stage and film from the 1910s to the early 1930s. Many people in the Black community called her "The First Lady of the Screen."

Evelyn was the first Black actress to become widely famous and popular. She starred in many important films and plays. For example, she was in the first play by a Black writer ever shown on Broadway. She also performed in the first New York-style play with an all-Black cast in California in 1928.

Early Life and Beginnings

Evelyn Jarvis was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 26, 1896. After her father, Frank, passed away, she moved to Chicago, Illinois. She lived there with her mother, Blanche, and her three brothers and sisters.

Evelyn finished elementary and high school in Chicago. Her early experiences helped her start her acting career. She performed in vaudeville shows and even did "street preaching" with her mother.

Career in Movies

When Evelyn was 23, she got her first movie role. This was in 1919 in a film called The Homesteader, directed by Oscar Micheaux. She played a character named Orlean. Oscar Micheaux promoted Evelyn as his main actress. He arranged tours where she met fans and created publicity campaigns for her. This made her one of the first African American women to become a movie star in the Black community.

Still from the 1919 film Within Our Gates with Charles D. Lucas and Evelyn Preer

Evelyn also starred in Micheaux's film Within Our Gates (1920). In this movie, she played Sylvia Landry, a teacher trying to raise money for her school. She went on to star in 19 films. Micheaux often created movies to show off Evelyn's many talents. These films included The Brute (1920) and The Gunsaulus Mystery (1921).

Evelyn made her first "talkie" (a movie with sound) in the musical film Georgia Rose (1930). In 1931, she acted alongside Sylvia Sidney in Ladies of the Big House. Both Black and white newspapers praised Evelyn for her ability to take on challenging roles. She could play everything from a villain to a hero. This was something many Black actresses in Hollywood didn't get to do. Sadly, only a few of her films still exist today. Evelyn was known for refusing roles that she felt disrespected African Americans.

Career in Theatre

In 1920, Evelyn joined The Lafayette Players. This was a theatre group in Chicago started in 1915 by Anita Bush. Anita Bush was a pioneering actress known as “The Little Mother of Black Drama." Her group traveled across the United States. They brought serious plays to Black audiences. At that time, theatres were often separated by race, especially in the South.

The Lafayette Players helped drama become popular among Black audiences. This group continued to perform until the Great Depression.

Broadway and Beyond

By the mid-1920s, Evelyn Preer started getting attention from white newspapers. She began to appear in plays and films that reached wider audiences. In 1923, she acted in a play called The Chip Woman's Fortune. This was the first play by an African-American writer to be shown on Broadway.

In 1926, Evelyn appeared on Broadway in a play called Lulu Belle. She also earned praise for her role in Sadie Thompson. This was a play based on a story by William Somerset Maugham.

Evelyn rejoined the Lafayette Players for their first show in Los Angeles. She and her fellow actors performed in the first New York-style play with Black actors to be produced in California. Evelyn also sang in cabaret shows and musical theater. Sometimes, famous musicians like Duke Ellington played music for her. Many people believed Evelyn Preer was the greatest actress of her time.

Family Life

Evelyn Preer married Frank Preer on January 16, 1915, in Chicago. Later, she met her second husband, Edward Thompson. They were both acting with the Lafayette Players in Chicago. They got married on February 4, 1924.

In April 1932, Evelyn gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Edeve Thompson.

Later Life and Legacy

Evelyn Preer sadly passed away on November 17, 1932, in Los Angeles. She was only 36 years old. She developed pneumonia after giving birth. Her husband, Edward Thompson, continued to be a popular actor in many films throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He died in 1960.

Their daughter, Edeve Thompson, became a Catholic nun when she was a teenager. She was known as Sister Francesca Thompson, O.S.F. She became a respected academic, teaching at universities in Indiana and New York City.

Filmography

Theater

• Rang Tang (1927)