Edna Mae Harris
Born: 1910-09-29 in New York City, New York, USA
Died: 1997-09-15
Known For: Acting
Biography
Edna Mae Harris was one of the best-known Black actresses of the 1930s and 1940s. She starred in many all-black cast independently produced movies of the day. An attractive woman who had a soulful voice, personality and sex appeal, she could sing, dance and act. The personification of a Harlem performer, Edna found fame by playing in both stage and screen versions of The Green Pastures (1936) as Zeba. Audiences loved her, and she received glorious reviews, so it was no surprise when Hollywood asked her to repeat her role on screen to wide acclaim. Edna Mae was very much in demand starring in some of the top Black movies such as Spirit of Youth (1938), Paradise in Harlem (1939), Sunday Sinners (1940), The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940), and Tall, Tan, and Terrific (1946), showing her excellent acting skills in drama and comedy. Edna Mae Harris got to tell her story in her later years in the documentary, Midnight Ramble (1994), about independently produced Black films.
Filmography
1994
- Midnight Ramble as Self - Actress
1981
- I Remember Harlem as self
1943
- Stage Door Canteen as Sun Tan Girl (uncredited)
1942
1940
- Sunday Sinners as Corrine Aiken
- The Notorious Elinor Lee as Fredi Welsh
- Stolen Paradise as Maid
1939
- Lying Lips as Elsie Bellwood
- Paradise in Harlem as Doll Davis
1938
- Spirit of Youth as Mary Bowdin
1936
- Private Number as Lulu (Uncredited)
- Fury as Black Woman (uncredited)
- The Green Pastures as Zeba
- Bullets or Ballots as Rose - Lee's Maid (uncredited)