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Spencer Williams, Jr. 1893 - 1969

Spencer Williams, Jr. of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States was born on July 14, 1893 in Vidalia, Concordia Parish County, LA, and died at age 76 years old on December 13, 1969 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA. Spencer Williams, was buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery 950 S Sepulveda Blvd, in Los Angeles.

Spencer Williams, Jr.

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States

July 14, 1893

Vidalia, Concordia Parish County, Louisiana, United States

December 13, 1969

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States

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Spencer Williams, Jr. Spencer Williams, (1893 - 1969)

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Spencer Williams, Jr.'s History: 1893 - 1969

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Introduction

Spencer Williams Jr. was born to Spencer Williams (born 1864) and Pauline C. Lloyd (1872 - 1955). Spencer Williams Jr. married, first, Olivia Mae Banks Jones Mennefield (1908 - 1988) on March 6, 1929 in Los Angeles, California. and, second, Eula G. Williams (1921 - 1975). Spencer was an American actor and filmmaker. He portrayed Andy on the television show "The Amos 'n' Andy Show". He was also a director and writer and acted on stage, in motion pictures, and on television and directed the 1941 film "The Blood of Jesus". A veteran, Spencer was a sergeant in the United States Army, serving in World War I. In March of 1932, Spencer was sentenced to 1 -14 years in Folsom prison for the crime of forgery. He got out of prison on March 25, 1946. See Spencer Williams, Jr. : Obituary.
07/14

1893

Birthday

July 14, 1893

Birthdate

Vidalia, Concordia Parish County, Louisiana United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Spencer was Black. Both of his parents were born in Louisiana.
Nationality & Locations

Born and raised in Louisiana, Spencer later move to Los Angles, California, where he was in the entertainment business. He died in Los Angles at the age of 76 and is buried in Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California.
Military Service

A veteran of the United States Army, Spencer served as a sergeant in World War I.
Professional Career

American actor, writer, director, and producer whose early pioneering work in African-American or "race" films was eclipsed in fame by his role as one of the title characters in the equally pioneering 1950s sitcom The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951). A native of Vidalia, Louisiana, Williams broke into the theatre as a call boy for theatrical producer Oscar Hammerstein I, and learned comedy at the feet of Bert Williams, the great black vaudevillian. He moved to California following service in World War I, and began to land bit parts in films, particularly in so-called "race films," which were designed solely for black audiences. He wrote gags and later scripts for some of these films, and in 1940 was offered the opportunity to write and direct a film, The Blood of Jesus (1941), a religious drama that proved an enormous success in its limited arena. After more than a half dozen further films, Williams left the industry and co-founded the American Business and Industrial College in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Three years later, in 1950, a local radio station convinced Williams to audition for the television version of the hit radio show "Amos 'n Andy." Williams landed the role of Andy Brown, one of the leads, and the show proved enormously popular in original broadcasts and in reruns. However, despite the near-unanimous sense that the comedy was superbly done, numerous racially-sensitive groups petitioned for its removal from the airways due to its presumed stereotypical depiction of black characters. Although the debate continues to this day, with positions pro and con taken on both sides of the color line, the show was removed from the air and despite its initial success and sterling comedy reputation, it has not been broadcast since in any regular form. Not until 2005 were home video presentations of the show publicly available. Williams managed only a few minor film and TV appearances following the cancellation of the show. He died of kidney failure at a Veterans Administration hospital in Los Angeles, on December 13, 1969, survived by his wife Eula. In 1983, fourteen years after his death, a number of his race films were discovered in a warehouse, and a reevaluation of the films and his work as writer and director was undertaken. A number of prominent critics and film scholars have praised Williams's work as primitive but pioneering and innovative examples of the filmmaking available to blacks in the mid-twentieth century. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Jim Beaver Trivia He became known to general audiences for his role as Andy in the television version of The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951). Before this, he had a long career as an actor, writer, director, and producer in motion pictures sometimes referred to as "race films," which were basically intended for and seen only by black audiences. Actors in The Amos 'n' Andy Show: -The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951) Alvin Childress Amos Spencer Williams Andy Tim Moore Kingfish Johnny Lee Calhoun Ernestine Wade Sapphire Amanda Randolph Mama… Nick Stewart Lightnin' Roy Glenn Trainer… Amos Reese Bradshaw… Bobby Johnson Bellhop… Jester Hairston Henry Van Porter… Arthur McNeely Mr. Jackson… Zelda Cleaver Clara Van Porter… Dudley Dickerson Joe… Milton Wood Doctor… Bill Walker 1st Detective… James Adamson 2nd Detective… Rosalind Hayes Elevator Operator…
Personal Life & Family

Spencer married, first, Olivia Mae Banks Jones Mennefield (1908 - 1988) on March 6, 1929 in Los Angeles, California. and, second, Eula G. Williams (1921 - 1975). Eula survived Spencer.
12/13

1969

Death

December 13, 1969

Death date

kidney disease

Cause of death

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Los Angeles National Cemetery 950 S Sepulveda Blvd, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90049, United States
Burial location
Obituary

Spencer Williams, 76, who played the cigar-chewing straight man Andy in the Amos 'n' Andy television series in the 1950s, at a Los Angeles hospital. - The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) on Wednesday, December 17, 1969.

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4 Memories, Stories & Photos about Spencer

Amanda S. Stevenson

16.8k+ favorites

07/17/2023

Spencer Williams, Jr.

Alvin Childress and Spencer Williams, Jr. as Amos 'n Andy.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

Comments

Amanda S. Stevenson

16.8k+ favorites

07/17/2023

The Stars of Amos 'n Andy.

Sencer Williams Jr. and Tim Moore and Alvin Childress.
A huge hit for two years that made them famous. Then some idiot said it was racist and got it canceled. Now it is on YOUTUBE and DVD and we can laugh again and love the show. I was raised in the projects and my African American neighbors bought tv's to watch that show.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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