Bert Williams
A comic genius and quiet racial pioneer
Alex Q. Arbuckle
1874-1922
The funniest man I ever saw – and the saddest man I ever knew. - W.C. Fields
Born in the Bahamas in 1874, Bert Williams moved with his family to California, where he began performing in minstrel shows after graduating high school.There, he developed a partnership with performer George Walker. The two became popular for their two-man vaudeville acts, with one usually playing a clever con man and the other a dumb mark. Williams in particular was praised for his mastery of physical comedy and ability to garner laughs with the slightest facial expression.At the time, convention dictated that black characters be depicted by actors in blackface. Despite being black men, Williams and Walker had little choice but to follow this practice. Rather than legitimize it, their use of the unnecessary makeup subtly highlighted its artifice.Their partnership eventually led them to New York, where in 1903 they created and starred in the first black musical comedy on Broadway, In Dahomey. Seating inside the theatre remained segregated.The musical was the debut of Williams’ luckless “Jonah Man” persona, which he would play frequently for the rest of his career.
The duo traveled to the United Kingdom and performed at Buckingham Palace, establishing themselves as international stars. Their next production, Abyssinia, was a smash success, and its inclusion of a love story pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable for black performers. As their success made them the most visible black performing artists in the world, they were torn between pressures to fight harmful stereotypes and pragmatic career considerations. Walker was more outspoken about combating prejudice, while Williams was more cautious and reserved.
It's all rot, this slapstick bandanna handkerchief bladder in the face act, with which Negro acting is associated. It ought to die out and we are trying to kill it. - George Walker
After Walker’s death from syphilis in 1910, Williams joined the previously all-white Ziegfeld Follies as a featured performer, and recorded songs with Columbia Records. By 1912, he was performing opposite white women and earning an annual salary of $62,400 — $1.5 million in today’s dollars.He continued to perform on the vaudeville circuit, and his record sales were immensely successful, making him one of the most highly paid recording artists in the world.After collapsing onstage during a performance, Williams died of pneumonia in 1922 at the age of 47. His funeral was attended by thousands. In a final act of barrier-breaking, he was the first black man to be honored in a service at the Masonic Lodge in Manhattan.
I have never been able to discover that there was anything disgraceful in being a colored man. But have often found it inconvenient in America. - Bert Williams
He has done more for our race than I have. He has smiled his way into people's hearts; I have been obliged to fight my way. - Booker T. Washington
A black face, run-down shoes and elbow-out make-up give me a place to hide. The real Bert Williams is crouched deep down inside the coon who sings the songs and tells the stories. - Bert Williams
That's a nice way to die. They was laughing when I made my last exit. - Bert Williams, after collapsing onstage
