Overview

This work presents the memoirs of Gordon Heath (1918-1991), an actor whose career spanned five decades on the stages of New York, London and Paris. He achieved prominence in 1945 for his starring role in Broadway's """"Deep are the Roots"""", an exploration of American race-relations at the end of World War II. He went on to become part of the lively post-war Parisian expatriate artistic and literary community.

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9781558490208

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Superb autobiography of a gay black actor. . . . Rich commentary on the thespian arts in the grandly informal words of Heath (1918-91), who played a legion of classical roles, became the first black announcer on American radio, played scores of whites on radio dramas . . . and apparently possessed a wit, if not genius, for marvelous speech--and who writes just as well. . . . He was also a skilled musician and singer and, in Paris, owned his own nightclub (where he did a guitar act) and directed his own theater. . . . Caviar.--Kirkus Reviews Heath's memoirs glow in the eloquence of his prose and in his detailed impressions of living as an expatriate in what was then the cultural capital of the world [Paris].--Theatre History Studies A vivid historical record of this important African American gay theater artist. If you care about our cultural heritage, then you should read this lovely book immediately. . . . You will delight in this beautiful journey.--Lamda Book Report This strongly written memoir is a welcome addition to the literature of a sad chapter in American arts. . . . [Heath's] deeply etched memories re-create a world of black New York in the 1920s and 1930s that is clear and passionate. Heath's family, friends, influences, ideas, tastes, and an awareness of self are fully drawn.--Library Journal

Superb autobiography of a gay black actor. Actors and lovers of acting will find a mother lode of rich commentary on the thespian arts in the grandly informal words of Heath (1918-91), who played a legion of classical roles, became the first black announcer on American radio, played scores of whites on radio dramas (with no listener being the wiser), and apparently possessed a wit, if not genius, for marvelous speech - and who writes just as well. Heath's distinguished career was given national attention when he starred in the 1945 Broadway production of Deep Are the Roots, under Ella Kazan's direction and with Barbara Bel Geddes as his beloved. Heath played Othello, Hamlet, Oedipus, Marlowe's Faustus, Harem in Beckett's Endgame, and a hatful of other top roles, always to great acclaim. He was also a skilled musician and singer and, in Paris, owned his own nightclub (where he did a guitar act) and directed his own theater as well, mounting the first Parisian productions of The Glass Menagerie, After the Fall, The Skin of Our Teeth, etc. When invited to the University of Amherst in 1987 to play in Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel, Heath was asked by the university press to write his autobiography. Though he died before completing it, what he wrote is treasure enough, particularly his extensive review of the century's English-speaking Othellos ( Olivier chose, I thought, the wrong kind of Negro[es] to impersonate and his rightly celebrated technique showed through the burnt cork. I admired the virtuosity but felt nothing for the man ). Caviar. (Kirkus Reviews)

Superb autobiography of a gay black actor. . . . Rich commentary on the thespian arts in the grandly informal words of Heath (1918-91), who played a legion of classical roles, became the first black announcer on American radio, played scores of whites on radio dramas . . . and apparently possessed a wit, if not genius, for marvelous speech--and who writes just as well. . . . He was also a skilled musician and singer and, in Paris, owned his own nightclub (where he did a guitar act) and directed his own theater. . . . Caviar.--Kirkus Reviews Heath's memoirs glow in the eloquence of his prose and in his detailed impressions of living as an expatriate in what was then the cultural capital of the world [Paris].--Theatre History Studies A vivid historical record of this important African American gay theater artist. If you care about our cultural heritage, then you should read this lovely book immediately. . . . You will delight in this beautiful journey.--Lamda Book Report This strongly written memoir is a welcome addition to the literature of a sad chapter in American arts. . . . [Heath's] deeply etched memories re-create a world of black New York in the 1920s and 1930s that is clear and passionate. Heath's family, friends, influences, ideas, tastes, and an awareness of self are fully drawn.--Library Journal

Superb autobiography of a gay black actor. . . . Rich commentary on the thespian arts in the grandly informal words of Heath (1918-91), who played a legion of classical roles, became the first black announcer on American radio, played scores of whites on radio dramas . . . and apparently possessed a wit, if not genius, for marvelous speech--and who writes just as well. . . . He was also a skilled musician and singer and, in Paris, owned his own nightclub (where he did a guitar act) and directed his own theater. . . . Caviar.--Kirkus ReviewsHeath's memoirs glow in the eloquence of his prose and in his detailed impressions of living as an expatriate in what was then the cultural capital of the world [Paris].--Theatre History StudiesA vivid historical record of this important African American gay theater artist. If you care about our cultural heritage, then you should read this lovely book immediately. . . . You will delight in this beautiful journey.--Lamda Book ReportThis strongly written memoir is a welcome addition to the literature of a sad chapter in American arts. . . . [Heath's] deeply etched memories re-create a world of black New York in the 1920s and 1930s that is clear and passionate. Heath's family, friends, influences, ideas, tastes, and an awareness of self are fully drawn.--Library Journal

Author Information

Gordon Heath (1918-1991) was an African-American actor, musician, and singer who appeared in numerous classical films such as 1954's Animal Farm and 1955's Othello. He became the first black announcer on American radio and played scores of whites on radio dramas. Heath owned his own nightclub and directed his own theater in Paris.

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