Mercedes Gilbert ((1894-07-26)July 26, 1894 – (1952-03-02)March 2, 1952) was an African-American actress, novelist, and poet.[1]
Early life and education
Gilbert was a native of Jacksonville, Florida. She attended Edward Waters College, where she originally trained to be a nurse before coming to New York and entering the entertainment profession, first as a songwriter and then as a stage actress.[2] Miss Gilbert was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.[3]
Career
Gilbert was known for playing Zipporah, the wife of Moses, in the original touring production of The Green Pastures in 1930.[4] She was still performing in 1950, appearing on Broadway in a new version of the play "Tobacco Road," with an all-black cast.[5] In the mid-1940s, she performed a one-woman show at historically black colleges across the United States.[6]
Gilbert appeared on screen four times: first, The Call of His People in 1921, then Body and Soul in 1925, Moon Over Harlem in 1939 as Jackie's mother, and finally in the episode "The Green Dress" of the TV series Lights Out. She also appeared on radio, most notably in a 1943 tribute to black women in America called "Heroines in Bronze," where she played the role of Sojourner Truth.[7] She performed occasionally on other radio programs, as well as writing and producing several radio skits.
In addition, Gilbert was the author of a 1938 novel, Aunt Sara's Wooden God.[8]
