Little-Known Black History Fact: Evelyn Preer (1774 hits)
Erica Taylor, The Tom Joyner Morning Show
Born in 1896, Evelyn Preer was one of the first African-American actresses to transition into Hollywood films with sound. Preer had been called the hardest-working woman in show business.
After convincing her stern, religious mother to let her study acting, Preer was discovered by the "father of black film," Oscar Micheaux. She landed her first big appearance in Micheaux’s film "The Homesteader," which was about a depressed black wife whose husband left her for a mulatto woman he believed to be white. After her remarkable performance, Preer would be cast in serious roles, uncharacteristic of black women in film of the time. She would become part of the renowned Lafayette Players acting troupe.
Preer's success as an actress led her to productions where she performed with Duke Ellington and Ethel Waters. By the 1920s, she was a crossover actress, breaking onto the big screens of white theaters, while still making history on Broadway. Preer was the first actress to star in a black non-musical play for Broadway, "The Chip Woman's Fortune." Micheaux and Paul Robeson simply called her "the best."
Race relations were tough in the entertainment business for Preer. In some films, she would only be allowed to be the voice of white actresses singing in white films. Yet, due to her light complexion, she would have to wear dark make-up in some performances so the audience would know she was black.
Preer died at age 36 from post-partum illnesses and double pneumonia in 1932. Her legacy was left in a number of hit jazz records, in Hollywood films, Broadway productions and an unknown number of voice-overs of which her voice was given the face of a white actress.
