Juano Hernández (July 19, 1896 â€" July 17, 1970) was an Afro-Puerto
Rican stage and film actor who was a pioneer in the African American
film industry. He made his silent picture debut in The Life of General
Villa, and talking picture debut in an Oscar Micheaux film, The Girl
from Chicago, which was directed at black audiences. Hernández also
performed in a series of dramatic roles in mainstream Hollywood
movies. His participation in the film Intruder in the Dust (1949)
earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for "New Star of the Year."
Later in life he returned to Puerto Rico, where he intended to make a
film based on the life of Sixto Escobar.Hernández (birth name: Juan
G. Hernández) was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican
father and a Brazilian mother. With no formal education, he worked as
a sailor and settled in Rio de Janeiro. He was hired by a circus and
became an entertainer, making his first appearance as an acrobat in
Rio de Janeiro in 1922. He later lived in the Caribbean and made his
living as a professional boxer, fighting under the name Kid Curley.In
New York City, he worked in vaudeville and minstrel shows, sang in a
church choir and was a radio script writer. During his spare time he
perfected his diction by studying Shakespeare, thus enabling himself
to work in radio. He co-starred in radio's first all-black soap opera
We Love and Learn. He also participated in the following radio shows:
Mandrake the Magician (opposite Raymond Edward Johnson and Jessica
Tandy), The Shadow, Tennessee Jed, and Against the Storm. He became a
household name after his participation in The Cavalcade of America, a
series which promoted American history and inventiveness. He appeared
in the Broadway shows Strange Fruit and Set My People Free. His
Broadway debut was in the chorus of the 1927 musical production Show
Boat.Hernández appeared in 26 films throughout his career. He
portrayed a revolutionary soldier in the silent film The Life of
General Villa, and his first "talkie" films were small roles in films
produced by Oscar Micheaux, who made race films for black audiences.
His talking film debut was Micheaux's The Girl from Chicago (1932), in
which he was cast as a Cuban racketeer. He also has a speaking part,
although uncredited, as a police officer in the 1932 crime drama and
musical Harlem Is Heaven, which stars Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
Rican stage and film actor who was a pioneer in the African American
film industry. He made his silent picture debut in The Life of General
Villa, and talking picture debut in an Oscar Micheaux film, The Girl
from Chicago, which was directed at black audiences. Hernández also
performed in a series of dramatic roles in mainstream Hollywood
movies. His participation in the film Intruder in the Dust (1949)
earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for "New Star of the Year."
Later in life he returned to Puerto Rico, where he intended to make a
film based on the life of Sixto Escobar.Hernández (birth name: Juan
G. Hernández) was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican
father and a Brazilian mother. With no formal education, he worked as
a sailor and settled in Rio de Janeiro. He was hired by a circus and
became an entertainer, making his first appearance as an acrobat in
Rio de Janeiro in 1922. He later lived in the Caribbean and made his
living as a professional boxer, fighting under the name Kid Curley.In
New York City, he worked in vaudeville and minstrel shows, sang in a
church choir and was a radio script writer. During his spare time he
perfected his diction by studying Shakespeare, thus enabling himself
to work in radio. He co-starred in radio's first all-black soap opera
We Love and Learn. He also participated in the following radio shows:
Mandrake the Magician (opposite Raymond Edward Johnson and Jessica
Tandy), The Shadow, Tennessee Jed, and Against the Storm. He became a
household name after his participation in The Cavalcade of America, a
series which promoted American history and inventiveness. He appeared
in the Broadway shows Strange Fruit and Set My People Free. His
Broadway debut was in the chorus of the 1927 musical production Show
Boat.Hernández appeared in 26 films throughout his career. He
portrayed a revolutionary soldier in the silent film The Life of
General Villa, and his first "talkie" films were small roles in films
produced by Oscar Micheaux, who made race films for black audiences.
His talking film debut was Micheaux's The Girl from Chicago (1932), in
which he was cast as a Cuban racketeer. He also has a speaking part,
although uncredited, as a police officer in the 1932 crime drama and
musical Harlem Is Heaven, which stars Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.