Paul Leroy Robeson (April 9, 1898 - January 23, 1976) was an American singer and actor. He won an academic scholarship to Rutgers College, where he became a football All-American and the class valedictorian. He received his LL.B. from Columbia Law School, while playing in the National Football League (NFL). At Columbia, he sang and acted in off-campus productions; and, after graduating, became a participant in the Harlem Renaissance. in the 1930s he became an international film star through roles in Show Boat and Sanders of the River. He became politically involved in response to the Spanish Civil War, fascism, and social injustices. During WWII, he supported America's war efforts and won accolades for his portrayal of Othello on Broadway. His advocacy of anti-imperialism, affiliation with communism, and criticism of the U.S. government caused him to be blacklisted during the McCarthy era. He was denied a passport by the U.S. State Department, and his income, consequently, plummeted. He moved to Harlem and published a periodical critical of United States policies. His right to travel was eventually restored in 1958. He retired in 1963 and died in 1976, following complications of a stroke, at the age of 77. Photographed by Carl Van Vechten June 1, 1933.