Bill Robinson
Best-known and highest-paid black entertainer of his era.
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was the most prominent and highest-earning Black entertainer in America during the first half of the twentieth century. His career spanned a remarkable transformation in popular entertainment, from the era of minstrel shows through vaudeville, Broadway, recorded music, Hollywood films, radio, and television. Dance critic Marshall Stearns noted that Robinson’s specific contribution to tap dance was bringing it upright and swinging, adding a new lightness and presence. His signature stair dance, a rhythmically complex routine tapping up and down a set of stairs, was an attempt he made to patent. He also popularized the word "copacetic" through repeated use in his performances. Robinson is widely remembered for dancing with Shirley Temple in several 1930s films and for starring in the musical *Stormy Weather* (1943), a film loosely based on his life that was later selected for the National Film Registry. He broke numerous racial barriers: he was among the first minstrel and vaudeville performers to appear onstage as a Black person without blackface makeup, one of the earliest Black performers to perform solo (overcoming vaudeville’s two-color rule), and an early Black headliner on Broadway. He was also the first Black performer to appear in a Hollywood film as part of an interracial dance team and the first to headline a mixed-race Broadway production. Despite his success, Robinson faced criticism for appearing to accept racial stereotypes, which he resented. His biographers argued that critics underestimated the constraints Black performers faced in mainstream white culture and ignored his efforts to combat prejudice, such as lobbying for the first Black policeman in Dallas, pressing President Roosevelt for equal treatment of Black soldiers, and organizing the first integrated public event in Miami. He mentored many fellow performers, including Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, Lena Horne, and the Nicholas Brothers, and was credited by Sammy Davis Jr. and Ann Miller as a teacher. Though the highest-paid Black entertainer of his time, Robinson died penniless in 1949; his funeral was paid for by Ed Sullivan. In 1989, Congress designated his birthday, May 25, as National Tap Dance Day.
- field
- Tap dancer, actor, singer
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Stair dance; dancing with Shirley Temple; popularizing the word 'copacetic'; bre
Quick Facts
- Other Names
- Bojangles
- Birth Name
- Luther Robinson
- Birth Date
- 1878-05-25
- Birth Place
- Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
- Death Date
- 1949-11-25
- Death Place
- New York City, New York, U.S.
- Resting Place
- Cemetery of the Evergreens, New York City
- Occupation
- Dancer / actor / activist
- Years Active
- 1890–1949
- Spouse
- Lena Chase · 1907 · 1922 · end=divorced / Fannie S. Clay · 1922 · 1943 · end=divorced / Elaine Plaines · 1944
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Robinson was a slender, upright dancer of medium height, known for his light, swinging style that brought tap dancing onto its toes with a previously unknown airiness. His signature routine involved tapping up and down a set of stairs in a rhythmically complex sequence, a feat he tried but failed to patent. He was also famous for popularizing the word "copacetic" through his frequent use of it on stage and radio. His career began in the era of minstrel shows, where he was one of the first black performers to appear without blackface makeup, and he later moved through vaudeville, Broadway, Hollywood films, radio, and television. He was one of the earliest black entertainers to perform solo in vaudeville, overcoming the industry’s two-color rule, and became an early black headliner on Broadway. In Hollywood, he was the first black performer to appear in an interracial dance team, partnering with Shirley Temple in the 1935 film *The Little Colonel*, and later headlined the mixed-race musical *Stormy Weather* (1943). He used his fame to challenge racial barriers, including persuading the Dallas Police Department to hire its first black officer, lobbying President Franklin Roosevelt for equal treatment of black soldiers, and staging the first integrated public event in Miami. Despite being the highest-paid black entertainer of his time, he died penniless in 1949, with his funeral paid for by Ed Sullivan. His birthday, May 25, was designated National Tap Dance Day by Congress in 1989.
Reader's Guide
Robinson's significance lies in his transformation of tap dance and his role in breaking racial barriers. Dance critic Marshall Stearns noted that Robinson brought tap 'on its toes, dancing upright and swinging,' adding a 'hitherto-unknown lightness and presence.' His signature stair dance, which he unsuccessfully attempted to patent, became a standard part of his act. He popularized the word 'copacetic' through his vaudeville and radio appearances. Robinson was one of the first minstrel and vaudeville performers to appear as black without blackface makeup, and one of the earliest Black performers to perform solo, overcoming vaudeville's two-color rule. He was the first black performer to appear in a Hollywood film in an interracial dance team (with Shirley Temple in The Little Colonel, 1935) and the first black performer to headline a mixed-race Broadway production. He used his popularity to challenge racial prejudice, including efforts to persuade the Dallas Police Department to hire its first black policeman, lobbying President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for equal treatment of black soldiers, and staging the first integrated public event in Miami.
Did You Know?
- Robinson was born Luther Robinson but exchanged names with his brother William, who later adopted the name Percy.
- Robinson unsuccessfully attempted to patent his signature stair dance.
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