ACTOR

Bill Robinson

1877 - 1949

Photo of Bill Robinson

Icon of person Bill Robinson

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. His long career mirrored changes in American entertainment tastes and technology. His career began in the age of minstrel shows and moved to vaudeville, Broadway theatre, the recording industry, Hollywood films, radio, and television. According to dance critic Marshall Stearns, "Robinson's contribution to tap dance is exact and specific. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 22 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 20 in 2024). Bill Robinson is the 6,091st most popular actor (down from 5,291st in 2024), the 9,414th most popular biography from United States (down from 7,713th in 2019) and the 2,805th most popular American Actor.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Bill Robinson by language

Loading...

Among ACTORS

Among actors, Bill Robinson ranks 6,091 out of 13,578. Before him are Junko Takeuchi, Barry Foster, Ray Park, Daniel Henney, Hu Die, and Inge Keller. After him are Jessalyn Gilsig, Lee Jung-eun, Patricia Bredin, Linus Roache, Roy Kinnear, and Mikhail Yefremov.

Most Popular Actors in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1877, Bill Robinson ranks 177. Before him are Jón Þorláksson, Leopold Skulski, Félix Paiva, George Cornet, Karel Absolon, and Lloyd C. Douglas. After him are Marsden Hartley, Ruurd Leegstra, Norman Pritchard, Charilaos Vasilakos, Claire McDowell, and Tom Crean. Among people deceased in 1949, Bill Robinson ranks 169. Before him are William Henry Dean, Léon Frapié, J. Searle Dawley, Robert Ripley, Alexander Drankov, and Linda Arvidson. After him are Jack Lovelock, John Neville Keynes, Gregory Mathews, Clarence Kingsbury, Frank Fetter, and Sidney Olcott.

Others Born in 1877

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1949

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Bill Robinson ranks 9,416 out of 20,380. Before him are Shirley Ann Jackson (1946), Angus King (1944), George Thorogood (1950), Daniel Henney (1979), Jane Irwin Harrison (1804), and John L. Phillips (1951). After him are Robert Pearce (1908), Alfred Mosher Butts (1899), Alfred W. Crosby (1931), James Joseph Dresnok (1941), Chuck Mangione (1940), and Ray Allen (1975).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among ACTORS In United States

Among actors born in United States, Bill Robinson ranks 2,806. Before him are Robert Warwick (1878), James Haven (1973), Brooke Burke (1971), Verna Felton (1890), Marguerite Clark (1883), and Daniel Henney (1979). After him are Clarke Peters (1952), Desmond Harrington (1976), Shawnee Smith (1969), David Selby (1941), James Parrott (1897), and Robert Costanzo (1942).

American born Actors

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous