Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 â€" October 13, 1979) was an American
actor, screenwriter, director, and composer. He was the first African
American to appear in a starring role in a film. He acted for fifty
years, and appeared in more than 150 films. He was inducted into the
Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973.Born in Baltimore, Maryland, the
son of Alexander and Mary Muse, he studied at Dickinson School of Law,
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for one year in 1908. He left since he
believed he could not make a living in law as an American Negro. He
later received an honorary doctorate of laws from Dickinson School of
Law in 1978.By the 1920s Muse was acting in New York during the Harlem
Renaissance with two Harlem theatres, Lincoln Players and Lafayette
Players. While with the Lafayette Players, Muse worked under the
management of producer Robert Levy on productions that helped black
actors to gain prominence and respect. In regards to the Lafayette
Theatre's staging of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Muse said the play was
relevant to black actors and audiences "because, in a way, it was
every black man's story. Black men too have been split creatures
inhabiting one body.".Muse moved to Chicago for a while, and then
moved to Hollywood. He performed in Hearts in Dixie (1929), the first
all-black movie. For the next fifty years, he worked regularly in
minor and major roles. Muse appeared as an opera singer, minstrel show
performer, vaudeville and Broadway actor; he also wrote songs, plays,
and sketches. In 1943, he became the first African-American Broadway
director with Run Little Chillun.
actor, screenwriter, director, and composer. He was the first African
American to appear in a starring role in a film. He acted for fifty
years, and appeared in more than 150 films. He was inducted into the
Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973.Born in Baltimore, Maryland, the
son of Alexander and Mary Muse, he studied at Dickinson School of Law,
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for one year in 1908. He left since he
believed he could not make a living in law as an American Negro. He
later received an honorary doctorate of laws from Dickinson School of
Law in 1978.By the 1920s Muse was acting in New York during the Harlem
Renaissance with two Harlem theatres, Lincoln Players and Lafayette
Players. While with the Lafayette Players, Muse worked under the
management of producer Robert Levy on productions that helped black
actors to gain prominence and respect. In regards to the Lafayette
Theatre's staging of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Muse said the play was
relevant to black actors and audiences "because, in a way, it was
every black man's story. Black men too have been split creatures
inhabiting one body.".Muse moved to Chicago for a while, and then
moved to Hollywood. He performed in Hearts in Dixie (1929), the first
all-black movie. For the next fifty years, he worked regularly in
minor and major roles. Muse appeared as an opera singer, minstrel show
performer, vaudeville and Broadway actor; he also wrote songs, plays,
and sketches. In 1943, he became the first African-American Broadway
director with Run Little Chillun.
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