Reginald Hartley Fenderson (December 28, 1911 – August 16, 1986) was an American actor in theatrical productions and films in the United States. He appeared in various films with African American casts in the 1930s and 1940s. Reginald Fenderson was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

on December 28, 1911. His father, Alfonso Fenderson, was the original actor who portrayed Moses in the play, ''

The Green Pastures ''The Green Pastures'' is a play written in 1930 by Marc Connelly adapted from ''Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun'' (1928), a collection of stories written by Roark Bradford. The play was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1930. It had th ...

''. Reginald Fenderson was an actor on the stage version and road tour of ''Green Pastures'', playing the characters Joshua and the magician for at least five years. He played a feature role in the 1939 film ''

Reform School A reform school was a penal institution, generally for teenagers mainly operating between 1830 and 1900. In the United Kingdom and its colonies reformatories commonly called reform schools were set up from 1854 onwards for youngsters who were ...

'', as an inmate named Freddie Gordon. The newspaper ''

The Washington Afro-American ''The Washington Afro-American'' newspaper is the Washington, D.C., edition of '' The Afro-American Newspaper''. History The newspaper was founded in 1892 by Civil War veteran, Sgt. John H. Murphy, Sr. Murphy merged his church publication, ''T ...

'' stated that Fenderson " andledthe role Freddie Gordon with admirable restraint, and is never guilty of melodramatics in a part that easily lends itself to over-portrayal." Fenderson married Ella J. in 1933. They filed for divorce in 1938. Fenderson served as a

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. Around 1943, he transferred to the Special Service Division and was later discharged. While in the army, he performed in

one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writ ...

s as part of the Huachuca Players,

Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation, established on 3 March 1877 as Camp Huachuca. The garrison is now under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is in Cochise County in southeast Arizona, a ...

Little Theatre Group. Fenderson died in

San Dimas, California San Dimas ( Spanish for " Saint Dismas") is a city in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 34,924. It historically took its name from San Dimas Canyon in the San Gabri ...

on August 16, 1986, at the age of 74.

Filmography

*''

'' (1936) as Joshua *''

Bargain with Bullets ''Bargain with Bullets'' is a 1937 American film. The first film produced by Million Dollar Productions, it features an African American cast of actors and performers. The gangster film is about the Harlem underworld. It was described as the firs ...

'' (1937) *'' Life Goes On'' (1938) as Henry Weston, aka Monte Howard *''

Gang Smashers ''Gang Smashers'', also released as ''Gun Moll'', is an American film released in 1938. It features an African American cast. Leo C. Popkin directed the Million Dollar Productions film from a screenplay by Ralph Cooper. The University of South Ca ...

'' (1938) *''

'' (1939) as Freddie Gordon *''

While Thousands Cheer ''While Thousands Cheer'' is a lost American film released in 1940. Leo C. Popkin directed. It was the only football-themed film with an African American lead character for decades. It starred Kenny Washington, a football star from UCLA who went ...

'' (1940) as Phil Harrington *''

Gang War Film * ''Gang War (1928 film)'', an American film about gangsters * ''Gang War (1940 film)'', a Million Dollar Productions film * ''Gang War'', an alternative name for ''Paper Bullets'', a 1941 American film * ''Gang War'' (1958 film) a 1958 Ameri ...

'' (1940) as Danny *''

Lucky Ghost ''Lucky Ghost'' is a 1942 American film directed by William Beaudine. The film is a sequel to the 1941 film ''Mr. Washington Goes to Town''. The film is also known as ''Lady Luck'' (new American title). Plot Washington Delaware Jones has never ...

'' (1942) as Dealer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenderson, Reginald 1911 births 1986 deaths 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American male actors African-American male actors American male film actors