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James B. Lowe

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James B. Lowe
Lowe, c. 1922
Born
James Buchanan Lowe

October 10, 1880
DiedMay 19, 1963 (aged 82)
Los Angeles, California, USA
OccupationActor

James B. Lowe (1880 - 1963) was an American stage and screen actor who was best known for his role in the 1927 silent film adaptation of Uncle Tom's Cabin.[1][2][3]

Biography

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James was born in Macon, Georgia, to James B. Lowe Sr. and Rachel Burton. As a young man, among other jobs, he reportedly worked as a gold miner in Alaska.[4]

He first began a career as a stage actor before beginning to appear in movies in the mid-1920s.[5] After a few minor roles, he took the lead in Uncle Tom's Cabin after fellow theatre actor Charles Gilpin dropped out of the picture. Although the film — and Lowe's performance — received favorable reviews among the general public at the time of its release, it has since been cited as contributing to defining the Uncle Tom stereotype.[6][7]

After the success of Uncle Tom's Cabin, he returned to theatrical work, receiving rave notices for his roles in plays such as The South Before the War in Europe.[8] In 1941, after working in Paris for over a decade, he returned to the United States, settling in Los Angeles and setting up shop as a tailor next to the Dunbar Hotel. He died in 1963.[9]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ ""Uncle Tom" Star for "Goin' Home"". Daily News. 25 Jun 1928. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  2. ^ Wintz, Cary D.; Finkelman, Paul (2004). Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance: K-Y. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-57958-458-0.
  3. ^ "James B. Lowe, circa 1922 - UCLA Library Digital Collections". digital.library.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  4. ^ "Charles Ray Helps Corinne Griffith's "Garden of Eden" Bloom". Daily News. 10 Sep 1927. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  5. ^ "Will Represent James B. Lowe". The Los Angeles Times. 20 Apr 1927. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  6. ^ "1927 Movie Notice". utc.iath.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  7. ^ Whitington, Paul (7 February 2015). "Film: Long and troubled history of black Hollywood". Independent. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  8. ^ "James B. Lowe Taking London by Storm". The Pittsburgh Courier. 25 Feb 1928. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  9. ^ "James B. Lowe Pioneer Actor's Last Rites Set". California Eagle. 23 May 1963. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
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