- Born Name: Paul Leroy Robeson
- Birthday: 1898-04-09 (Year-Month-Day)
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Paul Robey RobesonEndPersonal informationDate of birth: April 9, 1898Date of death: January 23, 1976Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)Weight: 219 lb (99 kg)Career informationCollege: RutgersDebuted in 1921 for the Akron ProsLast played in 1922 for the Milwaukee BadgersCareer historyAkron Pros (1921)Milwaukee Badgers (1922)Career highlights and awardsCareer NFL statistics as of 1922Games played 15Games started 13TD 1Stats at NFL.comCollege Football Hall of FamePaul Leroy Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an African American concert singer (bass-baritone), recording artist, athlete and actor who became noted for his political radicalism and activism in the civil rights movement. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson was the first major concert star to popularize the performance of Negro spirituals and was the first black actor of the 20th century to portray Shakespeares Othello alongside an all white cast.A nationally renowned football player from 1917 to the early 1920s, Robeson was an All-American athlete, Phi Beta Kappa Society laureate during his years at Rutgers University. In 1923, Robeson drifted into amateur theater work and within a decade he had become an international star of stage, screen, radio and film. Robeson went on to be a recipient of the NAACPs Spingarn Medal, the Stalin Peace Prize and of honorary memberships in over half a dozen trade unions. James Earl Jones, Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte have cited Robesons lead film roles as being the first to display dignity for black actors and pride in African heritage. Though one of the most internationally famous people of the 20th century, blacklisting during the Cold War has largely kept Paul Robeson out of mainstream interpretations of history.At the height of his career, Paul Robeson chose to become primarily a political artist. In 1950, Robesons passport was revoked under the McCarran Act over his work in the anti-imperialism movement and what the U.S. State Department called Robesons frequent criticism while abroad of the treatment of blacks in the US. Under heavy and daily surveillance by both the FBI and the CIA and publicly condemned for his beliefs, Robeson was blacklisted, his income fell dramatically and he became very nearly a non-person. Robesons right to travel was restored in 1958 and his already faltering health broke down under controversial circumstances in 1963. By 1965, he was forced into permanent retirement. He spent his final years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, unapologetic about his political views and career. Advocates of Robesons legacy have restored his name to history books and sports records, honoring his memory throughout the world with posthumous recognitions.