Edna Mae Harris
Harris in Lying Lips, 1939
Born(1914-09-29)September 29, 1914[1]
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 15, 1997(1997-09-15) (aged 82)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1931–1945
Spouses
Edward Randolph
(m. 1933; div. 1938)
    Walter Anderson
    (m. 1951; died 1983)

    Edna Mae Harris[2] (September 29, 1914 September 15, 1997), sometimes credited as Edna May Harris was an American actress and singer. Harris, an African–American, was film actress in the late 1930s and early 1940s, appearing in films featuring mostly African–American casts.

    Biography

    Early life and career

    Born in Harlem, Harris parents were Sam, a boxer and customs inspector; Her mother Mary Harris (née Walker) worked as a maid. Harris' family is noted as one of the first families to have migrated to Harlem. Settling near the Lafayette Theater, Harris was convinced into pursuing a career in show business by Ethel Waters and Maud Russell who were frequent visitors to her family home. After being coached on her singing and dancing by Waters and Russell, Harris began performing in the Theater Owners Booking Association (TOBA). An African-American vaudeville circuit, Harris performed with TOBA from 1929 until 1933.

    Harris attended Wadleigh High School (later known as Wadleigh High School for Girls) in Manhattan. During the summer after her sophomore year of high school, Harris worked at the Alhambra Theater doing dramatic sketches with a stock company. During this period, Harris received excellent training in diction and stage delivery through her association with veteran performers. Harris was also an excellent swimmer in high school, and in 1928 she entered the New York Daily News' Swimming Meet and won a championship.

    Career

    Harris (left) on poster for Lying Lips (1939.)

    Harris first real Hollywood break came when she landed a part in The Green Pastures (1936), portraying Zeba, starring with Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson. Harris was a leading lady in Spirit of Youth (1938), the story of the rise of boxer Joe Thomas, which paralleled the life of Joe Louis. Harris also had leading roles in Oscar Micheaux films, Lying Lips (1939), and The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940). Her film credits also include such Hollywood films as Bullets or Ballots (1936), Private Number (1936), and Garden of Allah (1936),[3] and the independent film Paradise in Harlem in 1939. Between picture commitments she toured with Noble Sissle's Orchestra as a featured vocalist along with Lena Horne and Billy Banks.[4] In 1942, she played fourteen weeks at the old Elks' Rendezvous as the mistress of ceremonies and announced a weekly radio show over station WMCA in New York City. She also did character dialect parts on many broadcasts for the Columbia Workshop Program. Edna Mae Harris got to tell her story in her later years in the documentary, Midnight Ramble (1994), about independently produced black films.

    Personal life and death

    Harris was married twice and had no children. Her first marriage was to Edward Randolph from 1933 until 1938, then to Harlem nightclub owner, Walter Anderson, from 1951 until his death in 1983. Harris dated boxer Joe Louis sometime during 1939 and 1940. Harris also dated Robert Paquin, who co-starred with her in Lying Lips, from 1941 until 1942. Harris died of a heart attack on September 15, 1997, at the age of 82.

    Filmography

    Movie Role Year
    American Experience: Midnight Ramble as Herself 1994
    Pass the Biscuits Mirandy! Mirandy (uncredited)[5] 1943
    Stage Door Canteen Sun Tan Girl (uncredited) 1943
    Legs Ain't No Good Actress 1942
    Murder on Lenox Avenue Singer 1941
    Stolen Paradise Maid (billed as Edna May Harris) 1940
    Sunday Sinners Corrine Aiken 1940
    The Notorious Elinor Lee Fredi Welsh 1940
    Paradise in Harlem Doll Davis 1939
    Lying Lips Elsie Bellwood 1939
    Spirit of Youth Mary Bowdin 1938
    The Garden of Allah Oasis Girl (uncredited) 1936
    The Green Pastures Zeba (as Edna May Harris) 1936
    Bullets or Ballots Rose - Lee's Maid (uncredited) 1936
    Fury Black Woman (uncredited) 1936
    Private Number Lulu (uncredited) 1936

    References

    1. Wartts, Adrienne (December 6, 2008). "Edna Mae Harris (1914-1997) •". Blackpast.org. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
    2. "Edna Mae Harris". IMDb. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
    3. Sampson, Henry T. Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films (1997), p. 218 - ISBN 0-8108-2605-4
    4. Chilton, John. Sidney Bechet: The Wizard of Jazz, Da Capo Press (1996), p. 136 - ISBN 0-306-80678-9
    5. Yowp (January 9, 2016). "Tralfaz: Wally and Walter". Tralfaz. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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