
Leigh Whipper
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Leigh Rollin Whipper (October 29, 1876 – July 26, 1975) was an American actor on the stage and in motion pictures. He was the first African American to join the Actors' Equity Association, and one of the founders of the Negro Actors Guild of America. He is best known for creating the role of Crooks in the original Broadway production of Of Mice and Men, which he reprised in the 1939 film version. Educated at Howard University Law School, he left in 1895 and never practiced as a lawyer. Without any dramatic training, he made his first Broadway appearance in Georgia Minstrels. His first film role was in the 1920 silent film The Symbol of the Unconquered. During the Second World War, Whipper was a member of the steering committee of Negro Division the Hollywood Victory Committee.
Known for
Credits

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
as Sparks (uncredited)

Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026)
as Self (archival footage)

Undercurrent (1946)
as George

Of Mice and Men (1939)
as Crooks

Road to Zanzibar (1941)
as Scarface

King of the Zombies (1941)
as Momba

Robin Hood of the Pecos (1941)
as Kezeye

The Symbol of the Unconquered: A Story of the Ku Klux Klan (1920)
as Tugi - an Indian Fakir

Mission to Moscow (1943)
as Haile Selassie (uncredited)

Young Widow (1946)
as Nate (Uncredited)

The Vanishing Virginian (1942)
as Uncle Josh

The Shrike (1955)
as Mr. Carlisle

Dark Waters (1944)
as Office Custodian (uncredited)

White Cargo (1942)
as Jim Fish

Happy Land (1943)
as Old Ben (uncredited)

The Hidden Eye (1945)
as Alistair

Untamed Fury (1947)
as Uncle Gabe

Heart of the Golden West (1942)
as Rango

The Young Don't Cry (1957)
as Doosy

Within Our Gates (1920)
Actor

The Negro Sailor (1945)
as Editor

Bahama Passage (1941)
as Morales

Virginia (1941)
as Ezechial





