Gertrude Jeannette

Gertrude Jeannette
Born(1914-11-28)November 28, 1914
Urbana, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedApril 4, 2018(2018-04-04) (aged 103)
Harlem, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, playwright, motorist
Years active1945–1977

Gertrude Hadley Jeannette (November 28, 1914[1] – April 4, 2018) was an American playwright and film and stage actress.[2] She is also known for being the first woman to work as a licensed taxi driver in New York City, which she began doing in 1942.[3] Despite being blacklisted during the Red Scare in the 1950s,[3][4] she wrote five plays and founded the H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players in Harlem, New York, remaining active in mentoring African-American actors in New York City.[4][3] In the 1960s and 1970s she appeared in Broadway productions such as The Long Dream, Nobody Loves an Albatross, The Amen Corner, The Skin of Our Teeth and Vieux Carré. She also appeared in films such as Cotton Comes to Harlem in 1969,[5] Shaft in 1971,[6] and Black Girl in 1972. She acted into her 80s and retired from directing theater at the age of 98.[5]

  1. ^ Profile, thehistorymakers.com; accessed February 22, 2017.
  2. ^ "Theater legend Gertrude Hadley Jeannette, 103, passes", Linda Armstrong, New York Amsterdam Press, April 12, 2018
  3. ^ a b c Biodata Archived 2018-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, actorsequity.org; accessed December 23, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Profile, danaroc.com; accessed December 23, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GERTRUDE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference CULTURE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).