Louise Beavers

Louise Beavers

(March 8, 1900 – October 26, 1962)

A Trailblazer in Film and Television

Early Life Born on March 8, 1900, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Louise Beavers was the daughter of Ernestine and William M. Beavers. Her family relocated to Pasadena, California, due to her mother’s illness, where Louise attended school and engaged in various extracurricular activities, including basketball and church choir. Her mother, a voice teacher, nurtured Louise’s passion for singing. After graduating from Pasadena High School in 1920, Louise worked as a dressing-room attendant for a photographer and later as a personal maid to film star Leatrice Joy.

Career Louise’s acting journey began with the Lady Minstrels, a group of young women staging amateur productions in the Loews State Theatre. Encouraged by agent Charles Butler, she ventured into film despite initial reservations about the negative portrayal of blacks. Her breakthrough came with a role in Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1927), followed by significant performances in Coquette (1929) and Imitation of Life (1934). As her career flourished, Louise transitioned to less stereotypical roles, such as the lead in Reform School (1939), challenging Hollywood’s racial double standards.

Activism and Personal Life Outside of her acting endeavors, Louise became a vocal advocate for African Americans, criticizing Hollywood’s portrayal of blacks and endorsing civil rights leaders like Robert S. Abbott and Richard Nixon. She actively participated in community functions and supported initiatives promoting African American empowerment. In 1936, she married Robert Clark, her manager, with whom she later divorced and remarried. In 1952, Louise married Leroy Moore, remaining with him until her passing.

Legacy and Impact Louise Beavers’s contribution to film and television transcended mere performances; she challenged racial stereotypes and advocated for social change. Her remarkable career spanned decades, with appearances in over 100 films during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Despite facing criticism for accepting certain roles, Louise used her platform to address racial inequality and promote positive representation of African Americans. Her legacy lives on as an icon of resilience and activism in the entertainment industry.

Honors and Awards In recognition of her groundbreaking contributions, Louise Beavers was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1976. Additionally, she received honorary membership in the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, further solidifying her status as a trailblazer for African American performers.

Here’s the complete several decades of filmography of Louise Beavers

Features:

  1. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1927)
  2. Coquette (1929)
  3. Glad Rag Doll (1929)
  4. Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929)
  5. Barnum Was Right (1929)
  6. Wall Street (1929)
  7. Nix on Dames (1929)
  8. Second Choice (1930)
  9. Wide Open (1930)
  10. She Couldn’t Say No (1930)
  11. Honey (1930)
  12. True to the Navy (1930)
  13. Safety in Numbers (1930)
  14. Back Pay (1930)
  15. Recaptured Love (1930)
  16. Our Blushing Brides (1930)
  17. Manslaughter (1930)
  18. Outside the Law (1930)
  19. Bright Lights (1930)
  20. Paid (1930)
  21. Scandal Sheet (1931)
  22. Millie (1931)
  23. Don’t Bet on Women (1931)
  24. Six Cylinder Love (1931)
  25. Party Husband (1931)
  26. Annabelle’s Affairs (1931)
  27. Sundown Trail (1931)
  28. Reckless Living (1931)
  29. Girls About Town (1931)
  30. Good Sport (1931)
  31. Ladies of the Big House (1931)
  32. The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)
  33. The Expert (1932)
  34. It’s Tough to Be Famous (1932)
  35. Young America (1932)
  36. Night World (1932)
  37. The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932)
  38. Street of Women (1932)
  39. The Dark Horse (1932)
  40. What Price Hollywood? (1932)
  41. Unashamed (1932)
  42. Divorce in the Family (1932)
  43. Hell’s Highway (1932)
  44. Wild Girl (1932)
  45. Too Busy to Work (1932)
  46. She Done Him Wrong (1933)
  47. Her Splendid Folly (1933)
  48. 42nd Street (1933)
  49. Girl Missing (1933)
  50. The Phantom Broadcast (1933)
  51. Pick-Up (1933)
  52. Central Airport (1933)
  53. The Big Cage (1933)
  54. The Story of Temple Drake (1933)
  55. What Price Innocence? (1933)
  56. Hold Your Man (1933)
  57. Midnight Mary (1933)
  58. Her Bodyguard (1933)
  59. A Shriek in the Night (1933)
  60. Notorious But Nice (1933)
  61. Bombshell (1933)
  62. Only Yesterday (1933)
  63. In the Money (1933)
  64. Jimmy and Sally (1933)
  65. Palooka (1934)
  66. Bedside (1934)
  67. I’ve Got Your Number (1934)
  68. Gambling Lady (1934)
  69. A Modern Hero (1934)
  70. The Woman Condemned (1934)
  71. Registered Nurse (1934)
  72. Glamour (1934)
  73. I Believed in You (1934)
  74. Merry Wives of Reno (1934)
  75. Cheaters (1934)
  76. The Merry Frinks (1934)
  77. Dr. Monica (1934)
  78. I Give My Love (1934)
  79. Beggar’s Holiday (1934)
  80. Imitation of Life (1934)
  81. West of the Pecos (1934)
  82. Million Dollar Baby (1934)
  83. Annapolis Farewell (1935)
  84. Bullets or Ballots (1936)
  85. Wives Never Know (1936)
  86. General Spanky (1936)
  87. Rainbow on the River (1936)
  88. Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
  89. Wings Over Honolulu (1937)
  90. Love in a Bungalow (1937)
  91. The Last Gangster (1937)
  92. Scandal Street (1938)
  93. Life Goes On (1938)
  94. Brother Rat (1938)
  95. The Headleys at Home (1938)
  96. Peck’s Bad Boy with the Circus (1938)
  97. Made for Each Other (1939)
  98. The Lady’s from Kentucky (1939)
  99. Reform School (1939)
  100. Parole Fixer (1940)
  101. Women Without Names (1940)
  102. Primrose Path (1940)
  103. I Want a Divorce (1940)
  104. No Time for Comedy (1940)
  105. Virginia (1941)
  106. Sign of the Wolf (1941)
  107. Kisses for Breakfast (1941)
  108. Belle Starr (1941)
  109. Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
  110. The Vanishing Virginian (1942)
  111. Young America (1942)
  112. Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
  113. Holiday Inn (1942)
  114. The Big Street (1942)
  115. Seven Sweethearts (1942)
  116. Tennessee Johnson (1942)
  117. Good Morning, Judge (1943)
  118. DuBarry Was a Lady (1943)
  119. All by Myself (1943)
  120. Top Man (1943)
  121. Jack London (1943)
  122. There’s Something About a Soldier (1943)
  123. Follow the Boys (1944)
  124. South of Dixie (1944)
  125. Dixie Jamboree (1944)
  126. Barbary Coast Gent (1944)
  127. Delightfully Dangerous (1945)
  128. Young Widow (1946)
  129. Lover Come Back (1946)
  130. Banjo (1947)
  131. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
  132. A Southern Yankee (1948)
  133. For the Love of Mary (1948)
  134. Good Sam (1948)
  135. Tell It to the Judge (1949)
  136. Girls’ School (1950)
  137. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
  138. My Blue Heaven (1950)
  139. Colorado Sundown (1952)
  140. I Dream of Jeanie (1952)
  141. Never Wave at a WAC (1953)
  142. Good-bye, My Lady (1956)
  143. You Can’t Run Away from It (1956)
  144. Teenage Rebel (1956)
  145. Tammy and the Bachelor (1957)
  146. The Goddess (1958)
  147. All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
  148. The Facts of Life (1960)

Short Subjects:

  1. Oriental Hugs (1928)
  2. Election Day (1929)
  3. Knights Before Christmas (1930)
  4. You’re Telling Me (1932)
  5. Hesitating Love (1932)
  6. The Midnight Patrol (1933)
  7. Grin and Bear It (1933)