James Baskett

James Baskett ( born February 16, 1904 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, † July 9, 1948 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American film and theater actor.

Biography

His original career aspirations, pharmacology, African American financial reasons had to give up.

In Chicago he was therefore initially on various theater stages, before it moved to New York City where he was, among others, Bill Robinson on stage. His talent helped him quickly to become one of the most popular black actor in New York. In California Baskett met with Freeman Gosden, part of the cast of the radio show Amos 'n' Andy, who helped him to first national fame. In the radio show Baskett appeared as a lawyer Gabby Gibson.

1932 was the first time Baskett front of the camera in the independent film Harlem Is Heaven. This was followed up in 1946 six more feature films before he took his most famous film role. In the Walt Disney film Song of the country he represented the main and title role, for which he was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1948. James Baskett was so after Gone with the Wind co-star Hattie McDaniel in 1940, the second African American to win an Oscar and the first actor in a Disney film, which got the attention of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ). Despite the success he was able to record, Baskett had to deal with the prevailing racism. So could the main character not be present in Atlanta at the premiere of his film on 12th November 1946 because he could find on the basis of his skin color not a hotel room.

James Baskett, who was neither married nor had children, died two years later at the age of 44 of heart failure. Although there are several sources that indicate a date of death on the 9th September 1948 so it's July 9, 1948. He is on the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana, buried.