Nina Mae McKinney (June 13, 1912 – May 3, 1967) was an American actress who worked internationally during the 1930s and in the postwar period in theatre, film and television, after getting her start on Broadway and in Hollywood. Dubbed The Black Garbo in Europe because of her striking beauty, McKinney was one of the first African-American film stars in the United States, as well as one of the first African Americans to appear on British television. Nina Mae McKinney was born in the small town of Lancaster, South Carolina, to Georgia and Hal McKinney. Her parents moved to New York for work during the Great Migration of African Americans out of the rural South in the early 20th century, and left their young daughter with her Aunt Carrie. McKinney ran errands for her aunt and learned to ride a bike. She soon was performing stunts on bikes, where her passion for acting was obvious. She acted in school plays in Lancaster and taught herself to dance. McKinney left school at the age of 15 and moved to New York to pursue acting, where she was reunited with her parents. Her debut on Broadway was dancing in a chorus line of the hit musical Blackbirds of 1928. This show starred Bill Bojangles Robinson and Adelaide Hall. The musical opened at the Liberty Theater on May 9, 1928 and became one of the longest-running and most successful shows of its genre on Broadway. Her performance landed McKinney a leading role in a film. Looking for a star in his upcoming movie, Hallelujah!, the Hollywood film director King Vidor spotted McKinney in the chorus line of Blackbirds. He said, Nina Mae McKinney was third from the right in the chorus. She was beautiful and talented and glowing with personality. And that’s what rocketed her into the world of acting and Hollywood. In Hallelujah (1929), McKinney was the first African-American actress to hold a principal role in a mainstream film; it had an African-American cast. Vidor was nominated for Oscar for his directing of Hallelujah and McKinney was praised for her role. When asked about her performance, Vidor told audiences Nina was full of life, full of expression, and just a joy to work with. Someone like her inspires a director. In 1935, McKinney married jazz musician James Jimmy Monroe. They divorced in 1938. After 1960, McKinney lived in New York City. On May 3, 1967, she died of a heart attack at the age of 54.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 21:14:29 +0000
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