Lawrence Chenault

Lawrence Chenault
Chenault (center), publicity still from The Jazz Hounds c. 1921 – c. 1924
Born(1877-11-23)November 23, 1877
Mount Sterling, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1943 (aged 66)
Indianapolis, Indiana
Occupation(s)Silent film actor,
vaudeville performer

Lawrence Chenault (November 23, 1877 – December 27, 1943)[1][2] was an American vaudeville performer and silent film actor. He appeared in approximately 24 films between years 1920 and 1934; most of his performances were in films directed by pioneering African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. His brother, Jack Chenault (September 26, 1888 – May 22, 1925), was also a film actor.

Early life

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Lawrence Chenault was born on November 23, 1877, in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, to Mollie Mitchell and William O. Chenault. They later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where Chenault became a soloist for the Allen Temple Church. In 1888, Chenault's mother Mollie Mitchell married Ambrose Saunders. Because of this, Chenault became Saunders' stepson and was listed in the 1900 US Census as Lawrence Saunders.[3]

Acting career

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Chenault joined multiple acting troupes throughout his life, the first one being Al G. Field's Negro Minstrels in 1895.[3] One of the more famous groups he took part in were the Lafayette Players, where he would become one of their leading men.[2] Chenault also was an actor in several films from 1920 to 1934. His debut was in Oscar Micheaux's The Brute in 1920, with other standouts from his career being the all-Black western The Crimson Skull[4] and Body and Soul.[2]

Chenault was heavily associated with the race film movement, both from his recurring roles in Micheaux's films[5] as well as the close association between the Lafayette Players and Reol Productions, another well-known studio for creating films aimed for African-American audiences.[6] His role in Micheaux's Body and Soul reflects the director's choice of casting Black actors as both heroes and villains in his films.[7] Chenault's acting style on camera was noted to be much more impacted by his time with the Lafayette Players than his earlier career in minstrel shows.[8]

Chenault's role in Ten Nights in a Ball Room (1926) was noted to be ironic, as the film is a temperance film and Chenault was allegedly well known for his drinking habits.[8]

Collapse

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On the week of August 8, 1928, Chenault made his debut appearance on the stage of the Harlem Alhambra, alongside Billy Andrews and George Randall.[9] A short while later, however, on August 17, Chenault collapsed shortly after completing a performance.[10] The source of his trouble is related to the passing of a friend of his, Johnnie Woods, who he had shared a room with for many years.[11]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Ancestry.com entry".
  2. ^ a b c Wintz, Cary D. and Paul Finkelman. Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. Ebook, Taylor & Francis group. 2004
  3. ^ a b "Chenault, Lawrence E. · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  4. ^ International Center of Photography. “The Crimson Skull.” International Center of Photography. https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/the-crimson-skull-0 .
  5. ^ Lupack, Barbara. Early Race Filmmaking in America, Routledge, 2016
  6. ^ Petersen, Christina. "The 'Reol' Story: Race Authorship and Consciousness in Robert Levy's Reol Productions, 1921-1926." Film History 20.3 (2008): 308-24.
  7. ^ Bowser, Pearl, and Louise Spence. "Oscar Micheaux's Body and Soul and the Burden of Representation." Cinema Journal, vol. 39, no. 3, 2000, pp. 3-29. ProQuest 222326238.
  8. ^ a b Petro, Patrice, et al. “African American Stardom Inside and Outside of Hollywood; Ernest Morrison, Noble Johnson, Evelyn Preer, and Lincon Perry.” Idols of Modernity: Movie Stars of the 1920s. Rutgers University Press, 2010, pp. 227-249
  9. ^ "New Faces in the Drama this Week: Billy Andrews, Lawrence Chenault and George Randall in Alhambra Debut." The New York Amsterdam News (1922-1938), Aug 08, 1928, p. 7.
  10. ^ "Chenault is Stricken; for Friend." Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001), Sep 06, 1928, pp. 8. ProQuest 531015748.
  11. ^ "Collapsed on the Alhambra Stage: Lawrence Chenault Suffers Breakdown Last Friday Afternoon." The New York Amsterdam News (1922-1938), Aug 22 1928, p. 7.
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