Edmund James Cambridge Jr. (September 18, 1920 – August 18, 2001) was an American actor and director who was a founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) and the Kilpatrick-Cambridge Theater Arts School."Edmund J. Cambridge, 80, Stage Director"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', September 25, 2001. Accessed November 26, 2009.

Biography

Cambridge was born on September 18, 1920 in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan ...

. At age 15, Cambridge began his professional career at Swan's Paradise in Harlem as a chorus boy. This assignment ended when his mother discovered that he was sneaking out of bed to do the job. Edmund was the President of the Original Cambridge Players, who took a Los Angeles premiere of '' The Amen Corner'' to Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in April 1965. Founding member

Juanita Moore Juanita Moore (October 19, 1914 – January 1, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She was the fifth black actor to be nominated for an Academy Awards, Academy Award in any category, and the third in the Academy Award for ...

was friends with

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

and

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (né Jones; August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'' has been ranked ...

. It was Moore who asked Brando to lend funds ($75) for Baldwin to write ''The Amen Corner''. In 1968, Cambridge joined

Robert Hooks Robert Hooks (born Bobby Dean Hooks; April 18, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and activist. Along with Douglas Turner Ward and Gerald S. Krone, he founded The Negro Ensemble Company. The Negro Ensemble Company is credited with the lau ...

Douglas Turner Ward Douglas Turner Ward (May 5, 1930February 20, 2021) was an American playwright, actor, director, and theatrical producer. He was noted for being a founder and artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). He was nominated for the Tony ...

and several other actors to start the Negro Ensemble Company. He staged '' Ceremonies in Dark Old Men'', as one of the company's first productions. This Lonne Elder III play went on to win many awards, including a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for the author. Other productions Cambridge directed at NEC include Steve Carter's critically acclaimed drama, ''Eden''. Cambridge was a longtime resident of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He died as a result of injuries sustained from a fall on August 18, 2001, in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

Selected credits

Acting

Directing

Country Cousins (1988) — Far from the Tree (1987)

Awards and nominations

Awards

* 1980 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle AwardDirection, ''Eden''

References

External links

* * * 1920 births 2001 deaths Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in New York (state) American male stage actors American male film actors Male actors from Manhattan People from Harlem 20th-century American male actors 20th-century African-American male actors {{US-screen-actor-1920s-stub