James Baskett
In his signature role as Uncle Remus. (c)1946 Disney.
Born	February 16, 1904(1904-02-16) Indianapolis, Indiana
Died	July 9, 1948 (aged 44) Los Angeles, California
Years active	1932 - 1946
Awards won Academy Awards Academy Honorary Award 1947 Song of the South

James Baskett (February 16, 1904–July 9, 1948) was an American actor known for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in the 1946 Disney feature film Song of the South, for which he was given an Honorary Academy Award, making him the first male performer of African descent to receive an Oscar.^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 320 × 220 pixelsFull resolution (320 × 220 pixel, file size: 37 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Screenshot of James Baskett as Uncle Remus in the 1946 Disney film, Song of the South. Image is copyright (c)1946, the Walt Disney Company. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... Indianapolis redirects here. ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Honorary Award is given irregularly by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards. ... Song of the South is a feature film produced by Walt Disney, released on November 12, 1946 by RKO Radio Pictures and based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Uncle Remus was a fictional character, the title character and fictional narrator of a collection of African American folktales adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris, published in book form from 1881. ... Disney redirects here. ... Song of the South is a feature film produced by Walt Disney, released on November 12, 1946 by RKO Radio Pictures and based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. ... The Academy Honorary Award is given irregularly by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards. ...

After abandoning his studies of pharmacology for financial reasons, Baskett supported himself as an actor, moving from his home town of Indianapolis, Indiana to New York City, New York and joining the company of Bill Robinson, better known as Mr. Bojangles. As Jimmie Baskette he appeared on Broadway with Louis Armstrong in the all-black musical revue Hot Chocolates in 1929, and was announced for Hummin' Sam in 1933, although it failed to open. He also acted in several all-black films made in the New York area, including Harlem Is Heaven (1932) starring Bill Robinson. He came to Los Angeles and had a supporting role in Straight to Heaven (1939), starring Nina Mae McKinney, and uncredited bit parts in the films Revenge of the Zombies (1943) and The Heavenly Body (1944). He was invited by Freeman Gosden to join the cast of the Amos 'n' Andy radio show as lawyer Gabby Gibson, whom he portrayed from 1944 to 1948. Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmakon (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and lego (λέγω) to tell (about)) is the study of how drugs interact with living organisms to produce a change in function. ... Indianapolis redirects here. ... New York, New York redirects here. ... Bill Bojangles Robinson (May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949) was a pioneer and pre-eminent African-American tap dance performer. ... Louis[1] Armstrong[2] (4 August 1901[3] – July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo[4] and Pops, was an American jazz musician. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Nina Mae McKinney (Born 12 June 1913 Lancaster, South Carolina, USA and died 3 May 1967 New York, New York, USA) was an American actress known for her leading role in Hallelujah! (1929), she was one of the first African-American film stars and is believed to be the first... Freeman Fisher Gozzie Gosden (May 5, 1899 - December 10, 1982) was a USA radio comedian, and pioneer in the development of the situation comedy form. ... Illustrator J.J. Goulds 1930 drawing of Amos and Andy for New Movie Magazine Amos n Andy was a situation comedy popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s. ... Radio broadcasts have been a popular entertainment since the 1910s, though popularity has declined a little in some countries since television became widespread. ...

In 1945, he auditioned for a bit part voicing one of the animals in the new Disney feature film Song of the South, based on the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris. Walt Disney was impressed with Baskett's talent and hired him on the spot for the lead role of Uncle Remus. Baskett was also given the voice role of Brer Fox, one of the film's animated antagonists, and even filled in as the main animated protagonist, Brer Rabbit, in one sequence. A bit part is a supporting acting role with at least one line of dialogue. ... Song of the South is a feature film produced by Walt Disney, released on November 12, 1946 by RKO Radio Pictures and based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. ... Uncle Remus was a fictional character, the title character and fictional narrator of a collection of African American folktales adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris, published in book form from 1881. ... Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris (December 8, 1848 - July 3, 1908) was an American journalist from Georgia, best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories: Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings (1881), Nights with Uncle Remus (1883), Uncle Remus and His Friends (1892), and Uncle... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... Brer Fox is a fictional character from the Uncle Remus folktales adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris. ... For other uses, see Antagonist (disambiguation). ... Brer Rabbit is a fictional character, the hero of the Uncle Remus stories derived from African American folktales of the Southern United States. ...

Baskett was unable to attend the film's premiere in Atlanta, Georgia because he would not have been allowed to participate in any of the festivities in what was then a racially segregated city.^[2] Atlanta redirects here. ...

In March 1948, Baskett received a special Academy Award for his performance as Uncle Remus. He died a few months later of heart disease. Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of different diseases which affect the heart and as of 2007 it is the leading cause of death in the United States,[1] and England and Wales. ...

He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. Crown Hill Cemetery, located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, is the third largest cemetery in the United States at 555 acres (2. ... The Indianapolis skyline Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ...

See also

• List of African American firsts

United States citizens of African descent, African Americans, make up a demographic minority of a national population composed primarily of those of European-Caucasian ancestry. ...

References

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper of Atlanta and metro Atlanta. ...

External links

• James Baskett at the Internet Movie Database