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Paul Robeson biography

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  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Princeton, New Jersey
  • PLACE OF DEATH: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Son of an escaped slave, Paul Robeson is an African-American singer, athlete, actor and political activist who helped popularize African American spirituals.


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Son of an escaped slave, Paul Robeson is an African-American singer, athlete, actor and political activist. Robeson rejected a career as an athlete and enrolled in Columbia University where he pursued acting. In 1930, he was the first black actor to portray Shakespeare's Othello in an all-white cast. He was blacklisted at the height of his career under the McCarthy era for his politics.

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    • Blacklisted

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