November 25, 1998 Clerow “Flip” Wilson, Jr., comedian and actor, died. Wilson was born December 8, 1933 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He lied about his age at 16 and joined the United States Air Force where his personality and funny stories made him popular. After his discharge, he became a regular at the Apollo […]
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November 1st in African American History – Florence Mills
November 1, 1927 Florence Mills, cabaret singer, dancer and comedian, died. Mills was born Florence Winfrey on January 25, 1896 in Washington, D. C. She began performing at the age of four and made her vaudeville debut with her two sisters as The Mills Trio. Mills made her stage musical debut in “Shuffle Along” in […]
October 11th in African American History – Redd Foxx
October 11, 1991 Redd Foxx, comedian and actor, died. Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford on December 9, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri. He moved to New York City in the early 1940s where he was an associate of Malcolm X. In Malcolm’s autobiography Foxx is referred to as “Chicago Red, the funniest dishwasher on […]
October 5th in African American History – Bernard Jeffrey Bernie Mac McCullough
October 5, 1957 Bernard Jeffrey “Bernie Mac” McCullough, comedian and actor, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Mac started as a stand-up comedian around Chicago and in 1989 won the Miller Lite Comedy Search. His first major acting role was in the 1995 film “Friday“. That was followed by other roles in films primarily directed at […]