Known For
Acting
Born
Sep 29, 1910
Died
Sep 15, 1997
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Credits
14 titles
Edna Mae Harris
Biography
Edna Mae Harris was one of the best-known Black actresses of the 1930s and 1940s. She starred in many all-black cast independently produced movies of the day. An attractive woman who had a soulful voice, personality and sex appeal, she could sing, dance and act. The personification of a Harlem performer, Edna found fame by playing in both stage and screen versions of The Green Pastures (1936) as Zeba. Audiences loved her, and she received glorious reviews, so it was no surprise when Hollywood asked her to repeat her role on screen to wide acclaim. Edna Mae was very much in demand starring in some of the top Black movies such as Spirit of Youth (1938), Paradise in Harlem (1939), Sunday Sinners (1940), The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940), and Tall, Tan, and Terrific (1946), showing her excellent acting skills in drama and comedy. Edna Mae Harris got to tell her story in her later years in the documentary, Midnight Ramble (1994), about independently produced Black films.
Known For
Filmography
Midnight Ramble
Self - Actress
I Remember Harlem
self
Stage Door Canteen
Sun Tan Girl (uncredited)
Legs Ain't No Good
Stolen Paradise
Maid
Sunday Sinners
Corrine Aiken
The Notorious Elinor Lee
Fredi Welsh
Lying Lips
Elsie Bellwood
Paradise in Harlem
Doll Davis
Spirit of Youth
Mary Bowdin
The Green Pastures
Zeba
Bullets or Ballots
Rose - Lee's Maid (uncredited)
Fury
Black Woman (uncredited)
Private Number
Lulu (Uncredited)