1889-10-13 Baltimore, Maryland, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, composer, and lawyer. He was inducted in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973. Muse was the first Negro to "star" in a film. He acted for more than sixty years appearing in more than 150 movies. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Alexander and Mary Muse, he studied at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and received an international law degree in 1911. He was acting in New York by the 1920s, during the Harlem Renaissance with two Harlem theatres, Lincoln Players and Lafayette Players. Muse moved to Chicago for a while, and then moved to Hollywood and performed in Hearts in Dixie (1929), the first all-black movie. For the next fifty years, he worked regularly in minor and major roles. While with the Lafayette Players, Muse worked under the management of producer Robert Levy on productions that helped black actors to gain prominence and respect. In regards to the Lafayette Theatre's staging of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Muse said the play was relevant to black actors and audiences "because, in a way, it was every black man's story. Black men too have been split creatures inhabiting one body.". Muse appeared as an opera singer, minstrel show performer, vaudeville and Broadway actor; he also wrote songs, plays, and sketches. In 1943, he became the first African American Broadway director with Run Little Chillun. Muse was also the co-writer of several notable songs. In 1931, with Leon René and Otis René, Muse wrote "When It's Sleepy Time Down South", also known as "Sleepy Time Down South". The song was sung by Nina Mae McKinney in the movie Safe in Hell (1931), and later became a signature song of Louis Armstrong. He was the major star in Broken Earth (1936), which related the story of a black sharecropper whose son miraculously recovers from fever through the father's fervent prayer. Shot on a farm in the South with nonprofessional actors (except for Muse), the film's early scenes focused in a highly realistic manner on the incredible hardship of black farmers, with plowing scenes. In 1938, Muse co-starred with boxer Joe Louis in Spirit of Youth, the fictional story of a champion boxer which featured an all black cast. Muse and Langston Hughes wrote the script for Way Down South (1939). Muse performed in Broken Strings (1940), as a concert violinist who opposes the desire of his son to play "swing". From 1955-56, Muse was a regular on the weekly TV version of Casablanca, playing Sam the pianist (a part he was under consideration for in the original Warner Brothers film), and in 1959, he played Peter, the Honey Man, in Porgy and Bess. He appeared on Disney's TV miniseries The Swamp Fox. Other film credits include Buck and the Preacher (1972), The World's Greatest Athlete (1973) and as Gazenga's Assistant, "Snapper" in Car Wash (1976). His last acting role was in The Black Stallion (1979).
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The Black Stallion | Snoe | 1979-10-13 |
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Passing Through | Papa Harris | 1977-08-06 |
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Car Wash | Snapper | 1976-10-22 |
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Black Shadows on a Silver Screen | Self (archive footage) | 1975-04-19 |
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The World's Greatest Athlete | Gazenga's Assistant | 1973-02-14 |
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A Dream for Christmas | Donald Freeland | 1973-12-24 |
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Buck and the Preacher | Cudjo | 1972-03-17 |
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Porgy and Bess | Peter | 1959-06-24 |
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Jungle Safari | Kyba | 1956-01-01 |
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She Couldn't Say No | Diaper Delivery Man | 1954-02-15 |
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The Sun Shines Bright | Uncle Zack | 1953-05-02 |
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Jamaica Run | Mose | 1953-04-21 |
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Caribbean | Quashy | 1952-09-01 |
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The Las Vegas Story | Train Porter (uncredited) | 1952-01-30 |
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Apache Drums | Jehu | 1951-04-01 |
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My Forbidden Past | Pompey | 1951-04-25 |
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Katie Did It | Mose | 1950-11-26 |
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Riding High | Whitey | 1950-04-12 |
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The Great Dan Patch | Voodoo | 1949-07-22 |
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An Act of Murder | Mr. Pope | 1948-12-05 |
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Silver River | Servant (uncredited) | 1948-05-20 |
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The Peanut Man | Dr. George Washington Carver | 1947-06-01 |
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A Likely Story | Porter (uncredited) | 1947-04-18 |
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Unconquered | Jason | 1947-10-10 |
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Welcome Stranger | Clarence, Train Waiter (uncredited) | 1947-06-13 |
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Joe Palooka in the Knockout | Smoky | 1947-09-20 |
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My Favorite Brunette | Second Man on Death Row (uncredited) | 1947-03-19 |
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Jungle Terror | Lightin' | 1946-06-01 |
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Two Smart People | Train Porter | 1946-06-04 |
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She Wouldn't Say Yes | Porter (uncredited) | 1945-11-29 |
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Scarlet Street | Ben - Bank Janitor (uncredited) | 1945-12-25 |
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Without Love | Train Porter | 1945-03-22 |
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Jungle Queen | Kyba | 1945-01-22 |
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God Is My Co-Pilot | Frank (uncredited) | 1945-04-07 |
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Jam Session | Henry | 1944-04-13 |
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The Racket Man | George the Butler | 1944-01-18 |
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The Soul of a Monster | Entertainer (uncredited) | 1944-08-17 |
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In the Meantime, Darling | Henry | 1944-09-22 |
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Stars on Parade | Carter (uncredited) | 1944-05-25 |
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San Diego I Love You | Porter (uncredited) | 1944-09-29 |
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Double Indemnity | Man (uncredited) | 1944-07-06 |
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The Thin Man Goes Home | Porter on Train (uncredited) | 1944-12-24 |
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Follow the Boys | Singer (uncredited) | 1944-05-05 |
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Heaven Can Wait | Jasper (uncredited) | 1943-08-05 |
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Johnny Come Lately | Butler | 1943-09-03 |
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Flesh and Fantasy | Jeff (uncredited) | 1943-10-29 |
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Shadow of a Doubt | Pullman Porter | 1943-01-12 |
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Over the Wall | Sam | 1943-12-25 |
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Watch on the Rhine | Horace | 1943-08-27 |
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Sherlock Holmes in Washington | George | 1943-03-24 |
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The Sky's the Limit | Colonial Club Doorman (uncredited) | 1943-07-13 |
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Honeymoon Lodge | Porter | 1943-07-23 |
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The Black Swan | Margaret's Servant (uncredited) | 1942-12-04 |
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Tough as They Come | Eddie | 1942-06-05 |
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Strictly in the Groove | Durham's Valet (uncredited) | 1942-11-20 |
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Tales of Manhattan | Grandpa | 1942-08-05 |
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Twin Beds | George | 1942-04-30 |
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The Talk of the Town | Supreme Court Doorkeeper (uncredited) | 1942-08-20 |
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Adam Had Four Sons | Sam (uncredited) | 1941-03-27 |
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Love Crazy | Robert - Hat Check Man at Party | 1941-05-23 |
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Among the Living | 1941-12-12 | |
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Invisible Ghost | Evans the Butler | 1941-04-25 |
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Kisses for Breakfast | Old Jeff | 1941-07-05 |
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Gentleman from Dixie | Jupe | 1941-09-02 |
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The Flame of New Orleans | Samuel, Carriage Driver | 1941-07-07 |
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Belle Starr | Bootblack in Saloon (uncredited) | 1941-09-12 |
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Maryland | Reverend Bitters | 1940-07-19 |
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Chad Hanna | Henry Prince | 1940-12-25 |
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That Gang of Mine | Ben | 1940-09-23 |
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Sporting Blood | Jeff | 1940-07-11 |
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Zanzibar | Bino | 1940-03-08 |
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Broken Strings | Arthur Williams | 1940-01-01 |
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Alice in Movieland | Train Porter | 1940-03-03 |
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Murder Over New York | Party Server | 1940-12-13 |
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Way Down South | Uncle Caton | 1939-07-21 |
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Spirit of Youth | Frankie Walburn | 1938-04-01 |
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Secrets of a Nurse | 'Tiger', Lee's Handler | 1938-12-02 |
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Prison Train | Train Steward / Sam | 1938-10-17 |
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The Toy Wife | Brutus | 1938-06-10 |
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Deep South | 1937-01-01 | |
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Jungle Menace | Lightning | 1937-09-01 |
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High Hat | Congo MacRosenbloom | 1937-01-01 |
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Muss 'em Up | William | 1936-02-13 |
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The Broken Earth | The Farmer | 1936-04-16 |
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Laughing Irish Eyes | Deacon | 1936-03-04 |
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The Green Pastures | Angel (uncredited) | 1936-08-01 |
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Spendthrift | Restaurant Table Captain | 1936-07-22 |
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Mysterious Crossing | Lincoln | 1936-12-27 |
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Show Boat | Sam | 1936-05-17 |
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Daniel Boone | Pompey | 1936-10-16 |
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Harmony Lane | Old Joe | 1935-10-22 |
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So Red the Rose | Cato | 1935-12-20 |
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After the Dance | Cook | 1935-06-25 |
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Red Hot Tires | Bud's Truck Partner | 1935-02-02 |
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Alias Mary Dow | 'Rufe' | 1935-05-01 |
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East of Java | First Mate Johnson | 1935-12-01 |
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O'Shaughnessy's Boy | Jeff | 1935-09-27 |
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Beautiful Dreamer | 1935-12-12 | |
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Broadway Bill | Whitey | 1934-11-30 |
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Black Moon | 'Lunch' McClaren | 1934-06-15 |
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The Personality Kid | Shamrock | 1934-06-06 |
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A Very Honorable Guy | Black Man | 1934-04-18 |
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Massacre | Sam | 1934-01-20 |
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Kid Millions | Native (uncredited) | 1934-11-10 |
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The Life of Jimmy Dolan | Masseur | 1933-06-03 |
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The Wrecker | Chauffeur | 1933-07-10 |
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Laughter in Hell | Abraham Jackson | 1933-01-12 |
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The Mind Reader | Sam | 1933-04-01 |
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Fury of the Jungle | Sunrise | 1933-10-23 |
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Hollywood on Parade No. A-12 | Self | 1933-06-29 |
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Frisco Jenny | Voice of Singer (uncredited) | 1933-01-14 |
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Flying Down to Rio | Caddy in Haiti (uncredited) | 1933-12-22 |
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From Hell to Heaven | Sam | 1933-02-24 |
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Prestige | Nham | 1932-01-22 |
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Washington Merry-Go-Round | Clarence | 1932-10-15 |
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Is My Face Red? | Horatio | 1932-06-17 |
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The Death Kiss | Shoeshine Man | 1932-12-05 |
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The Woman from Monte Carlo | Tombeau | 1932-01-09 |
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Night World | Tim Washington, the Doorman | 1932-05-04 |
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Man Against Woman | Smoke Johnson | 1932-11-15 |
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Big City Blues | Nightclub Singer (uncredited) | 1932-09-18 |
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Lena Rivers | Curfew | 1932-03-27 |
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Attorney for the Defense | Jefferson Q. Leffingwell | 1932-05-21 |
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The Wet Parade | Taylor Tibbs | 1932-03-26 |
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The Cabin in the Cotton | A Blind Negro | 1932-09-26 |
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Hell's Highway | Rascal | 1932-09-23 |
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If I Had a Million | Death Row Singing Prisoner (uncredited) | 1932-11-18 |
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Winner Take All | Rosebud, the Trainer | 1932-07-16 |
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White Zombie | Coach Driver | 1932-07-28 |
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Dirigible | Clarence | 1931-02-01 |
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The Secret Witness | Jeff - Building Janitor | 1931-12-12 |
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Safe in Hell | Newcastle | 1931-12-12 |
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Huckleberry Finn | Jim | 1931-08-07 |
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Secret Service | Jonas Polk | 1931-11-14 |
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The Fighting Sheriff | Curfew | 1931-05-15 |
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X Marks the Spot | Eustace Brown | 1931-12-13 |
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The Last Parade | Alabam' / Singing Voice of Condemned Man (uncredited) | 1931-01-31 |
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Derelict | Driver (uncredited) | 1930-11-22 |
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Outside the Law | Party Guest (uncredited) | 1930-09-18 |
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Guilty? | Jefferson | 1930-03-03 |
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A Royal Romance | Rusty | 1930-03-17 |
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Swing High | Singer | 1930-05-18 |
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Honey | Black Revivalist | 1930-03-29 |
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Rain or Shine | Nero | 1930-08-15 |
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The Thoroughbred | Stablehand | 1930-08-09 |
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Election Day | Farina's father | 1929-01-12 |
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New York Nights | Cabaret Singer (uncredited) | 1929-12-28 |
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Hearts in Dixie | Nappus | 1929-01-02 |
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Hallelujah | Church Member (uncredited) | 1929-08-20 |
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The Custard Nine | 1921-11-06 |
