Editing Rex Ingram (actor)

{{Short description|American actor (1895–1969)}}
: ''For the film director, producer, writer and actor, see [[Rex Ingram (director)]] (1892–1950).''
{{Infobox person
| name                  = Rex Ingram
| image                 = Rex_Ingram_in_Dark_Waters.jpg
| imagesize             = 
| birthname             = 
| birth_date             = {{Birth date|1895|10|20}}
| birth_place            = [[Cairo, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date             = {{Death date and age|1969|9|19|1895|10|20}}
| death_place            = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| occupation            = Actor
| years_active           = 1918–1969
| spouse                = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Francine Everett]]|1936|1939|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Lauwaune Kennard|1941| |end=divorced}}
* Dena Guillory ({{abbr|m.|married}} 19??)
}}
}}

'''Rex Ingram''' (October 20, 1895 – September 19, 1969) was an [[United States|America]]n stage, film, and television [[actor]].<ref name=obit /><ref name=aar>{{cite web |url=http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/rex-ingram-20th-century-actor-stage-films-and-tv |title=Rex Ingram, 20th Century Actor |accessdate=2012-11-17 |publisher=African American Registry }}</ref>

== Early life and career ==
Ingram was born near [[Cairo, Illinois]], on the [[Mississippi River]]; his father was a steamer fireman on the riverboat ''[[Robert E. Lee (steamboat)|Robert E. Lee]]''. Ingram graduated from the [[Northwestern University]] medical school in 1919 and was the first [[African-American]] man to receive a [[Phi Beta Kappa]] key from [[Northwestern University]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Bogle|first=Donald|title=Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year=2001|edition=4|page=[https://archive.org/details/tomscoonsmulatto0004bogl/page/69 69]|isbn=0-8264-1267-X|url=https://archive.org/details/tomscoonsmulatto0004bogl/page/69}}</ref> He went to Hollywood as a young man where he was literally discovered on a street corner by the casting director for ''[[Tarzan of the Apes (1918 film)|Tarzan of the Apes]]'' (1918), starring [[Elmo Lincoln]]. He made his (uncredited) screen debut in that film and had many other small roles, usually as a generic black native, such as in the ''Tarzan'' films.

With the arrival of sound, his presence and powerful voice became an asset and he went on to memorable roles in ''[[The Green Pastures (film)|The Green Pastures]]'' (1936), ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939 film)|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' (the 1939 [[MGM]] version, opposite [[Mickey Rooney]]), ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (1940 film)|The Thief of Bagdad]]'' (1940—perhaps his best-known film appearance—as the [[genie]]), ''[[The Talk of the Town (1942 film)|The Talk of the Town]]'' (1942), and ''[[Sahara (1943 American film)|Sahara]]'' (1943).<ref name=aar />

From 1929, he also appeared on stage, making his debut on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. He appeared in more than a dozen Broadway productions, with his final role coming in ''[[Kwamina]]'' in 1961. He was in the original cast of ''Haiti'' (1938), ''[[Cabin in the Sky (play)|Cabin in the Sky]]'' (1940), and ''[[St. Louis Woman]]'' (1946). He is one of the few actors to have played both [[God]] (in ''The Green Pastures'') and the [[Devil]] (in ''Cabin in the Sky''). In 1966 he played Tee-Tot in the movie ''[[Your Cheatin' Heart (film)|Your Cheatin' Heart]]''.

Ingram was arrested for violating the [[Mann Act]] in 1948.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rex Ingram is Released for Hearing on Oct. 4th |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/40655895/?terms=%22John%2BMarriott%22 |newspaper=The New York Age |date=September 28, 1948 |page=3 |via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = December 4, 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref> Pleading guilty to the charge of transporting a teenage girl to New York for immoral purposes, he was sentenced to eighteen months in jail. He served just ten months of his sentence, but the incident had a serious effect on his career for the next six years. In the interim, he invested in the Club Alabam, a famed nightclub located in the [[Dunbar Hotel]] in South Central Los Angeles, with partners Joe Morris and Clarence Moore, reopening it as a jazz club.<ref>Variety, October 25, 1951</ref>
 
In 1962, he became the first African-American actor to be hired for a contract role on a [[soap opera]], when he appeared on ''[[The Brighter Day]]''. He had other minor work in television in the 1960s, appearing in an episode each of ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]'' and ''[[The Bill Cosby Show]]'', both of which starred [[Bill Cosby]], who used his influence to land him the roles.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

== Death ==
Two weeks after filming a guest spot on ''[[The Bill Cosby Show]]'' on September 5, 1969, Ingram died of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at the age of 73.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Rex Ingrain, the Actor, Dies in Hollywood at 73. His Portrayal of De Lawd in 'Green Pastures' Hailed. Medical School Graduate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/09/20/archives/rex-ingrain-the-actor-dies-in-hollywood-at-73-his-portrayal-of-de.html |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=September 20, 1969 |accessdate=2012-11-17 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=1969-10-02|title=Veteran Actor Rex Ingram Died of Heart Attack|journal=Jet|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|volume=36|issue=26|pages=56}}</ref>

== Complete filmography ==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan=2|1918
| ''[[Tarzan of the Apes (1918 film)|Tarzan of the Apes]]''
|
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Salomé (1918 film)|Salomé]]''
|
| Uncredited
|-
| 1923
| ''[[The Ten Commandments (1923 film)|The Ten Commandments]]''
| Israelite Slave
| Uncredited
|-
| 1927
| ''[[The King of Kings (1927 film)|The King of Kings]]''
| Minor Role
| Uncredited
|-
| 1929
| ''[[The Four Feathers (1929 film)|The Four Feathers]]''
| Fuzzy Wuzzy Native
| Uncredited
|-
| 1933
| ''[[The Emperor Jones (1933 film)|The Emperor Jones]]''
| Court Crier
| Uncredited
|-
| 1934
| ''[[Harlem After Midnight]]''
|
|
|-
| 1936
| ''[[The Green Pastures (film)|The Green Pastures]]''
| [[Adam]] / [[God in Christianity|De Lawd]] / Hezdrel
|
|-
| 1939
| ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939 film)|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]''
| [[Jim (Huckleberry Finn)|Jim]]
|
|-
| 1940
| ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (1940 film)|The Thief of Bagdad]]''
| Djinn
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1941
| ''Hoola Boola''
| Narrator 
| Short
|-
| ''The Gay Knighties''
| Narrator
| Short
|-
| rowspan=2|1942
| ''Jasper and the Watermelons''
| 
| Voice, Short
|-
| ''[[The Talk of the Town (1942 film)|The Talk of the Town]]''
|Tilney
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1943
| ''[[Cabin in the Sky (film)|Cabin in the Sky]]''
| Lucifer Jr. / Lucius Ferry
|
|-
| ''[[Sahara (1943 American film)|Sahara]]''
| Sgt. Major Tambul
|
|-
| ''[[Fired Wife]]''
| Charles
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1944
| ''Jasper's Paradise''
| 
| Voice, Short
|-
| ''[[Dark Waters (1944 film)|Dark Waters]]''
| Pearson Jackson
|
|-
| rowspan=4|1945
| ''Hot Lips Jasper''
| 
| Voice, Short
|-
| ''Jasper Tell''
|
| Voice, Short
|-
| ''[[A Thousand and One Nights (1945 film)|A Thousand and One Nights]]''
| Giant
|
|-
| ''[[Adventure (1945 film)|Adventure]]''
| Preacher
|
|-
| rowspan=1|1946
| ''[[John Henry and the Inky-Poo]]''
| John Henry / Narration
| Voice, Short
|-
| 1947
| ''Shoe Shine Jasper''
|
| Voice, Short
|-
| 1948
| ''[[Moonrise (film)|Moonrise]]''
| Mose
|
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Tarzan's Hidden Jungle]]''
| Sukulu Chieftain
| Uncredited
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Congo Crossing]]''
| Dr. Leopold Gorman
|
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Hell on Devil's Island]]''
| Lulu
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1958
| ''[[God's Little Acre (film)|God's Little Acre]]''
| Uncle Felix
|
|-
| ''[[Anna Lucasta (1958 film)|Anna Lucasta]]''
| Joseph Lucasta
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1959
| ''[[Escort West]]''
| Nelson Water
|
|-
| ''[[Watusi (film)|Watusi]]''
| Umbopa
| Alternative title: ''The Quest for King Solomon's Mines''
|-
| rowspan=2|1960
| ''[[Elmer Gantry (film)|Elmer Gantry]]''
| Preacher
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Desire in the Dust]]''
| Burt Crane
|
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Your Cheatin' Heart (film)|Your Cheatin' Heart]]''
| Tee-Tot
|
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Hurry Sundown (film)|Hurry Sundown]]''
| Professor Thurlow
|
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Journey to Shiloh]]''
| Jacob
|
|}

==Partial television credits==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! Year
! Series
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Climax!]]''
| Petraca
| 1 episode
|-
| 1958
| ''[[Whirlybirds]]''
| Joe
| 1 episode
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Black Saddle]]''
| Alex Booth
| 1 episode
|-
| 1961
| ''[[The Rifleman]]''
| Thaddeus
| 1 episode
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Sam Benedict]]''
| Judge Larkin
| 1 episode
|-
| 1965
| ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]''
| Dr. Bingham
| 1 episode
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Branded (TV series)|Branded]]''
| Hannibal
| 1 episode
 
|-
| 1967–1968
| ''[[Daktari]]''
| Natoma<br />Chief Makuba
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Cowboy in Africa]]''
| Dr. Tom Merar
| 1 episode
|-
| rowspan=2|1969
| ''[[Gunsmoke]]''
| Juba
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[The Bill Cosby Show]]''
| George
| Episode: A Christmas Ballad; posthumous release (final television appearance)
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Maltin |first= Leonard |title= The Real Stars : Profiles and Interviews of Hollywood's Unsung Featured Players |chapter= Rex Ingram |pages= 145–157 |date= 2015 |edition= Sixth / eBook |orig-year=First published 1969 |type= softcover |publisher= CreateSpace Independent |location= Great Britain |isbn = 978-1-5116-4485-3}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Rex Ingram (actor)}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0002270|name=Rex Ingram}}
<!--* {{aaregistry|1684|name=Rex Ingram}}-->
* {{Find a Grave|2027|name=Rex Ingram}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingram, Rex}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:Male actors from Illinois]]
[[Category:People convicted of violating the Mann Act]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male silent film actors]]
[[Category:American male soap opera actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
[[Category:Feinberg School of Medicine alumni]]
[[Category:People from Cairo, Illinois]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:Federal Theatre Project people]]