Notable people · Entertainer · Black History · Musician
Sam Lucas
Born in Washington Court House, Lucas was among the first Black performers to move from minstrel shows to serious stage roles. He played Uncle Tom on stage and in the 1914 film, and the poet James Weldon Johnson called him the Grand Old Man of the Negro Stage.
At a glance
- Born
- 1840-08-07
- Died
- 1916-01-10
- Known as
- Entertainer, Black History, Musician
- Organizations
- Callender's Georgia Minstrels, The Frogs
Life story
Sam Lucas was born in Washington Court House, Ohio, with a birth year that sources still argue over. He began performing with traveling Black minstrel companies in 1858 and worked with several of them through the 1870s.
In 1878 he took the role of Uncle Tom in a serious production, and he sang spirituals in jubilee concerts. In 1898 he appeared in A Trip to Coontown, described as the first Black musical comedy to break fully from minstrelsy, and he starred in shows through 1909.
In 1913 and 1914 he worked in film. His Uncle Tom's Cabin was released in August 1914 and was later chosen for the National Film Registry in 2012.
He died of pneumonia in January 1916. James Weldon Johnson's nickname for him, the Grand Old Man of the Negro Stage, is still how he is remembered.
Timeline
- 1858: Joins traveling Black minstrel companies source
- 1871: Performs with Lew Johnson's Plantation Minstrels source
- 1878: Plays Uncle Tom in a serious production source
- 1886-08-11: Marries Carrie Melvin (Boston, MA) source
- 1898: Appears in A Trip to Coontown source
- 1905: Stars in Rufus Rastus source
- 1908: Charter member of The Frogs source
- 1914-08-10: Uncle Tom's Cabin released source
- 1916-01-10: Dies source
What Sam is known for
- Early Black star beyond minstrelsy
- Played Uncle Tom in the 1914 film
- Uncle Tom's Cabin (1914 film)
- Lime Kiln Field Day (1913, unfinished film)
Honors and things named for them
- Called the Grand Old Man of the Negro Stage by James Weldon Johnson
- 1914 film in the National Film Registry (2012)
Family
- daughter: Marie Lucas
Ohio places
Where Sam Lucas was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Washington Court House, Fayette County ZIP 43160 · Washington Court House · Fayette County
Myths and corrections
- He is often called the first Black man to play Uncle Tom, but Wikipedia notes that earlier Black actors played the role in Australia in 1867 and June 1878.
- Disputed: Many accounts call Sam Lucas the first African American to play Uncle Tom. He was the first U.S.-born one after July 1878, but Hosea Easton played the part in Melbourne in June 1878 and Hackett Coulthurst reportedly played it in Australia in 1867.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Sam Lucas birth, career, family, disputes