Lillian Cumber facts for kids

Lillian Cumber (born Victoria Lillian Fisher, April 1, 1920 – 2002) was an important African American woman who worked in many different fields. She was a newspaper writer, helped gospel music groups find shows, and was an agent for actors in Hollywood. This meant she helped actors get roles in movies and TV shows. She mainly worked with African American actors. In 1974, she was honored for her work and added to the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

Early Career and New Ventures

Lillian Cumber started her career as a secretary. She then became a newspaper columnist, writing for 25 years. This means she wrote articles and opinions for newspapers.

Working with Music and Film

Lillian also worked with a person named Art Rupe. Together, they helped gospel music groups find places to perform. This is called "booking" performers. After six years, she decided to start her own business in 1956. She created the Lil Cumber Attraction Agency. This agency helped African American actors find work in the film industry. She was the first African American woman to own an agency like this.

In 1958, a magazine called Jet reported that Lillian closed her agency. She planned to go to UCLA Law School to study law. Around the same time, she got engaged to marry Ed Fisher, who owned a chain of drug stores.

Helping Actors and Filmmakers

Lillian Cumber played a role in helping to cast the film Living Between Two Worlds. This movie was made by Horace Jackson. Famous actress Marla Gibbs also talked about meeting with Lillian Cumber.

It took Lillian five years to get a special license from the Screen Actors Guild. This license was important for her to officially represent actors. One of the actors she helped was Eddie Cole.

Additional Resources

• The UCLA Library has photographs of Lillian Cumber.
• The Internet Archive has a copy of Lillian Cumber's biography from the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.