Clarence Brooks
Actor
1896 - 1969
Profession
ActorProducer
Hometown
San Antonio, TX
Overview
As a co-founder of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company in 1916, Clarence Brooks challenged silent film stereotypes by producing movies representing Black Americans as fully-fledged, complicated, ambitious humans. Brooks went on to become an actor, choosing roles he felt were uplifting, and, while he mostly appeared in independent race films, he also found work in studio films like Arrowsmith (1931), where he played a Howard-educated doctor. But such mainstream opportunities were rare, and, as the race film industry died out, so did Brooks’ acting career.
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About the Filmography
The selected filmography for the years 1897–1971 includes works featured in the exhibition and others that are considered historically, socially, or politically relevant. Hollywood productions are generally excluded; the focus is instead on independent films, particularly the work of Black filmmakers. Black Academy Award nominees and winners are noted. This filmography was compiled using the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and various filmographies, including those by Klotman, Richards, and Hyatt. Primary production materials and contemporaneous film reviews were also consulted. Complete credits for many of the films are unavailable. All films are US productions unless otherwise noted, and distribution credits refer to the original distributors.