Jack Carter (c. 1902 – November 9, 1967) was an American actor. He is known for creating the role of Crown in the original Broadway production of '' Porgy'' (1927), and for starring in Orson Welles's stage productions including ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' (1936) and '' Doctor Faustus'' (1937). He appeared in a few motion pictures in the 1930s and 1940s.

Career

Jack Carter created the role of Crown in the original stage production of '' Porgy''. , From 1928 to 1929 Carter portrayed Crown in a national tour production of ''Porgy''. The tour included nine weeks in Chicago, six weeks in London, and performances in Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Washington, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and cities in the northwestern United States and Canada From September 16 to October 24 in 1931 Carter portrayed the role of Dave Crocker in ''Singin' the Blues'' at the

Liberty Theatre The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Klaw and Erlanger, the partnersh ...

in New York. During 1934 Carter performance in a New York production of ''Stevedore'' as Lonnie Thompson at the

Civic Repertory Theatre The Fourteenth Street Theatre was a New York City theatre located at 107 West 14th Street just west of Sixth Avenue.Berg, J.C. (9 January 2011)The Fourteenth Street Theater, ''nycvintageimages.com'' History It was designed by Alexander Saelt ...

. He started the role in April through July, and resumed his role in October through November 1934. He is perhaps best known for having starred in the

Federal Theatre Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States. It was one of five Federal Pro ...

's 1936

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

production of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

'' that came to be known as the ''

Voodoo Macbeth The Voodoo ''Macbeth'' is a common nickname for the Federal Theatre Project's 1936 New York production of William Shakespeare's ''Macbeth''. Orson Welles adapted and directed the production, moved the play's setting from Scotland to a fictional ...

''.

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

adapted and directed the play, moved its setting from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

to a fictional

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

island, recruited an entirely

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

cast, and earned the nickname for his production from the Haitian ''vodou'' that fulfilled the rôle of Scottish

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

. In 1936, at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem, New York, a free preview drew 3,000 more people than can be seated The show reportedly was sold out for all ten weeks. During its run at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receivin ...

on Broadway, Carter completed only Act I of the July 15 performance, which was then completed by understudy Thomas Anderson. Beginning July 16, Maurice Ellis played the role of Macbeth in the remainder of the run at the Adelphi Theatre and on the subsequent national tour. Welles later cast Carter as

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles ...

in '' Doctor Faustus'' (1937), a Federal Theatre Project 891 production in which Welles played

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

. File:Porgy-Jack-Carter.jpg, Jack Carter as Crown in '' Porgy'' (1927–30) File:Macbeth-47-Carter.jpg, Jack Carter in ''

'' (1936) File:Macbeth-26A-Carter-Thomas.jpg, Jack Carter and Edna Thomas in ''Voodoo Macbeth'' File:Macbeth-04-Carter.jpg, Jack Carter in ''Voodoo Macbeth'' (1936)

Work

Theatre

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Jack 1900s births 1967 deaths 20th-century American male actors African-American male actors Year of birth uncertain Federal Theatre Project people