Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television

The Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television comprises brief biographical sketches of 360 performers. The entries include actresses from the earliest days of film through 2009. McCann notes in his preface that he had three goals in compiling this encyclopaedia: acknowledging the contributions of pioneering black actresses from the silent era through 1940; emphasizing the work of actresses who were well known in their time, but are in danger of being forgotten; and acknowledging the work of early B‐film actresses who may have had more prestigious careers if they had had greater opportunity to showcase their talents....