Charles Gilpin

Republished from 1997 profiles

Charles Sidney Gilpin "rose from obscurity to the peaks, lived his hour of triumph and returned to the shadows," Harlem Renaissance theater critic Theophilus Lewis wrote. Gilpin's short-lived triumph was lofty indeed.

In the early 1920s, Gilpin secured his place in American theater history by creating the title -- and only major -- role in Eugene O'Neill's "The Emperor Jones." Gilpin's portrayal in the long one-act play became a box-office sensation in New York's Greenwich Village. The play and its principal actor transferred to Broadway and later went on tour.

Except for Ira Aldridge, who lived and performed mostly in Europe before the Civil War, Gilpin was the first African-American to be widely lauded as a serious actor on America's mainstream stage.

He resisted playing the prevailing and demeaning "stage Negro" expected in the mainstream theater of his era. He would pay a price for his racial pride.

Gilpin was born Nov. 20, 1878, in Richmond's Jackson Ward. He attended the Saint Francis School for Catholic Colored Children until about age 12, when he became a printer's apprentice at the Richmond Planet, a newspaper.

He parlayed his developing baritone into extra money at night by performing in Richmond saloons and theaters and occasionally as a "super," or temporary performer, when roadshows came to town.

It Wasn't All Velvet, The Life and Hard Times of Charles S. Gilpin, Actor by John D. Kneeborne, Virginia Cavalcade Magazine, Summer 1988 issue

In the early 1890s, Gilpin moved with his mother to Philadelphia. There he continued to hone his song, dance and comedy talents with vaudeville and minstrel companies.

When the Perkus and Davis Great Southern Minstrel Barn Storming Aggregation beckoned, Gilpin was ready. When the touring company folded, Gilpin moved back to Philadelphia, temporarily retired, married and became a barber.

Throughout his career, Gilpin would continue to supplement his theater income with work ranging from elevator operator and porter to trainer of prize fighters.

Gilpin got back into show business by joining the Canadian Jubilee Singers. His chance to develop as an actor began in Chicago and continued when he moved to New York in 1915 and became a founding member of the Lafayette Players, a stock company in Harlem. His first big mainstream break occurred in 1919 when he was cast as Custis, a preacher and former slave, in John Drinkwater's historical drama, "Abraham Lincoln," on Broadway.

That role led to "The Emperor Jones," but Gilpin could not capitalize on his success. After the post-Broadway tour, which played Richmond to great acclaim, Gilpin's insistence on eliminating racial epithets from the play angered O'Neill.

O'Neill, who at one time was said to be writing a play especially for Gilpin, ended up casting budding actor Paul Robeson in the London production of Emperor Jones. Robeson also played Jones on film.

A worsening drinking problem helped push Gilpin back into the shadows. Other stage roles, two film projects and two "The Emperor Jones" revivals failed to restore his career.

Gilpin lost his voice in 1929 and died May 6, 1930, at his Eldridge Park, N.J., home at age 51.

He was not forgotten, however.

In 1941, Richmond's first low-income housing project, Gilpin Court, was named in memory of what the Richmond Housing Authority called "probably the most widely known Negro ever born in Richmond."

Five years later, O'Neill bestowed the ultimate, if belated, accolade.

"As I look back now on all my work, I can honestly say there was only one actor who carried every notion of a character I had in mind," the Nobel Prize laureate said.

"That actor was Charles Gilpin."

SOURCES: Virginia Cavalcade, Summer 1988 issue; Cambridge Guide to American Theater; Richmond Quarterly, 1978 issue

DESIGNED BY MARTIN RHODES/TIMES-DISPATCH