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Bill Robinson‌

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1878-05-25

Popularity

star4.6

Bill Robinson

Richmond, Virginia, USA

Bill Robinson

Richmond, Virginia, USA

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1878-05-25

Popularity

star4.6

Biography

According to one jazz dance source, Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson was the chief instigator for getting tap dance "up on its toes." Early forms of tap, including the familiar "buck and wing", contained a flat-footed style, while Robinson performed on the balls of his feet with a shuffle-tap style that allowed him more improvisation. It obviously got him noticed and it certainly made him a legend. Born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia, on May 25, 1878, he was orphaned in infancy and reared by a grandmother. He took his brother Bill's name for his own once he went professional. His brother, in turn, took the name Percy and later became a renowned drummer. Hoofing in beer gardens at age 6, Bojangles joined traveling companies and vaudeville tours in his teens and slowly built up a successful reputation in nightclubs and musical comedies. He headlined with Cab Calloway many times at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. Bojangles' unique sound came from using wooden taps and his direct claim to fame would be the creation of his famous "stair dance," which involved tapping up and down a flight of stairs both backwards and forwards. Both black and white audiences were taken by his style and finesse and, following the demise of vaudeville, he easily transferred his talents to Broadway. Lew Leslie, a white producer, put together "Blackbirds of 1928," an all-black revue that would prominently feature Bill and other black musical talents. From there it was films for the now old-timer. In the 1930s various studios usurped his patented talent in their old-fashioned Depression-era musicals. Times being what they were, he was typically cast as a butler or servant. Nevertheless, he enjoyed immense popularity, especially when partnered with reigning #1 box office moppet Shirley Temple. Bojangles would be featured in four of Shirley's sentimental vehicles: The Little Colonel (1935) (in which he recreated his "stair dance" with her), The Littlest Rebel (1935), Just Around the Corner (1938) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938). In addition, he assisted in the choreography on one of her other films, Dimples (1936). For the most part Bill was a specialty player, but every once in a while he got into the thick of things, playing Lena Horne's love interest in One Mile from Heaven (1937) for instance. Still tapping his heart out as a 60-year-old, Bojangles returned to the stage in "The Hot Mikado" which was a tuneful jazz reworking of Gilbert and Sullivan's classic operetta. Suffering from a chronic heart condition, he slowed down in the mid-'40s and died in New York City in 1949 of heart disease.

Movie Credits

Just Around the Corner

Just Around the Corner‌
star5.5
calendar 1938

Stormy Weather

Stormy Weather‌
star6.9
calendar 1943

The Littlest Rebel

The Littlest Rebel‌
star6.3
calendar 1935

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm‌
star6.7
calendar 1938

One Mile from Heaven

One Mile from Heaven‌
star6.7
calendar 1937

The Big Broadcast of 1936

The Big Broadcast of 1936‌
star5.4
calendar 1935

King for a Day

King for a Day‌
star6.0
calendar 1934

Hooray for Love

Hooray for Love‌
star4.7
calendar 1935

Dixiana

Dixiana‌
star5.0
calendar 1930

In Old Kentucky

In Old Kentucky‌
star0.0
calendar 1935

In Old Kentucky

In Old Kentucky‌
star0.0
calendar 1935

The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance‌
star6.0
calendar 2004

Road Demon

Road Demon‌
star0.0
calendar 1938

Let's Scuffle

Let's Scuffle‌
star2.0
calendar 1942

Harlem Is Heaven

Harlem Is Heaven‌
star6.0
calendar 1932

The Little Colonel

The Little Colonel‌
star6.4
calendar 1935

Up the River

Up the River‌
star0.0
calendar 1938

Dancetime Tap Dance History

Dancetime Tap Dance History‌
star0.0
calendar 2011

That's Dancing!

That's Dancing!‌
star7.0
calendar 1985

Tv Credits

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show‌
star6.5
calendar 1948