Buzz
Long before icons like Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington, Black actors were rare in Hollywood. Lincoln Perry (1902-1985) is widely recognized as the first Black movie star. Under the moniker Stepin Fetchit, he also became the first Black actor to amass a fortune, a groundbreaking achievement.
Born in Key West, Florida, Perry's father was Jamaican and his mother was from the Bahamas. His father, Joseph Perry, worked as a cigar wrapper and cook, often participating in minstrel shows with his singing and dancing. Perry's mother, a devout Catholic, was a seamstress for a local dentist's family. As a teenager, Perry performed as a tent-show entertainer, tap dancing and singing for traveling carnivals and medicine shows. In his twenties, he worked in Black vaudeville, partnering in a duo called “Step and Fetch It” (though Perry claimed the name was inspired by a racehorse). After arriving in Los Angeles in the 1920s, a talent scout for Fox Studios offered him a screen test, which led to success.
Throughout his career, Perry appeared in over 40 films, including 1929's *Hearts In Dixie*, 1930's *A Tough Winter*, and 1934's *Judge Priest*. His early performance in the 1927 silent film *In Old Kentucky* won audiences over with his comedic timing. Perry signed a contract with Fox, where he became a staple in films as Stepin Fetchit, playing a character known as “The Laziest Man On Earth” (sometimes called “The Laziest Man In The World”), a role he portrayed in several films to the delight of audiences.
Perry reached the height of his fame and wealth during the 1930s, when he became a millionaire. His lavish lifestyle was frequently featured in newspapers, magazines, and tabloids. He reportedly owned several cars, including a pink Cadillac adorned with his name in neon lights, wore luxurious cashmere suits, and had a staff of 16 servants and chauffeurs. Perry also mingled with Hollywood elite, attending parties with stars like Will Rogers, John Wayne, Mae West, Shirley Temple, and later, Muhammad Ali.
However, beginning in the 1930s, both Black and white Americans, along with civil rights leaders, strongly criticized Perry’s on-screen portrayals. Often playing lazy, illiterate characters—typically an aloof, slow-moving man with drooping eyes and disjointed speech—Perry was accused of reinforcing negative racial stereotypes. His roles were viewed as degrading and humiliating, contributing to the racist narrative of Black people as lazy, unintelligent, and unsophisticated.
During this period, the NAACP was advocating for equal pay and fair representation for Black actors, while pushing to eliminate negative portrayals of Black people in film. Perry attempted to secure equal treatment from Fox Studios, but was unsuccessful, leading him to leave Hollywood by 1940. By 1947, he had gone bankrupt. His acting career was sporadic throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He passed away in 1985 at a hospital for members of the motion picture and television industry in Los Angeles.
While many Black historians and critics have criticized Perry’s impact on cinema, some offer a more nuanced perspective. Jimmie Walker, a Black comedian, defended Stepin Fetchit, suggesting that the character, though often seen as a fool, functioned as a subversive trickster. In his films, Perry’s character often outsmarted white characters by feigning incompetence, causing them to become impatient and eventually do the work themselves. Black film critic Mel Watkins pointed out that African-Americans saw Perry’s character as a nod to slave resistance, finding humor in his subtle defiance.
Because Perry was billed as Stepin Fetchit rather than by his real name, Lincoln Perry, it was difficult for audiences to distinguish the actor from his on-screen persona. In a 1968 interview, Perry remarked, “Just because Charlie Chaplin played a tramp doesn't make tramps out of all Englishmen, and because Dean Martin drinks, that doesn't make drunks out of all Italians … I was only playing a character, and that character did a lot of good.” Contrary to the lazy image of his character, Perry regularly wrote columns for *The Chicago Defender*, sharing his experiences in Hollywood.
In 1976, Perry was honored with a Special NAACP Image Award for his achievements, and he also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame under the name Stepin Fetchit. While opinions on his legacy may differ, there is widespread agreement that he paved the way for Black actors in Hollywood.
This article was originally published in 2017.
