Clarence Muse, born October 14, 1889 in Baltimore, Maryland, was an African-American actor, screenwriter, director, and composer. According to wikipedia.com, he was the first African-American to 'star' in a film. He began acting in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s.
He moved to Chicago and then on to Hollywood where he appeared first The Custard Nine (1921) and in Election Day (1929), an Our Gang short, silent comedy. He then starred in Hearts in Dixie, the first all-black movie.
In 1943, he became the first African-American Broadway director for Run Little Chillun. he appeared in more than 150 films, most of them he is uncredited. Probably the only movie of his I've seen was The World's Greatest Athlete.
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