Biography for
Clarence Muse More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

14 October 1889, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Date of Death

13 October 1979, Perris, California, USA (cerebral hemorrhage)

Height

5' 6" (1.68 m)

Spouse

Irene Ena	(1952 - 13 October 1979) (his death)
Willabelie	(? - ?) (divorced) 3 children

Trivia

Inducted into the "Black Filmmakers Hall Of Fame" [1973]

Was the first African-American to "star" in a film.

Died four days before the release of his final film, The Black Stallion (1979).

Holding a law degree from Pennsylvania's Dickerson University, Clarence requested that he be addressed as Dr. Muse in later years.

In his salad days, Muse appeared as an opera singer, a minstrel performer and a vaudeville actor. He also composed songs and wrote plays and sketches, and was considered a pioneer in the 'black theatre' movement.

An outspoken proponent for the positive treatment of black performers, Muse fought demeaning stereotypes for most his career. Ironically, he was a staunch supporter of the controversial black-oriented TV series "The Amos 'n Andy Show" (1951). He insisted that, despite the standard caricatures of the title players, the series allowed black actors to portray white-collar roles such as doctors, bankers, judges, and professors, generally not done in white-oriented series.

A member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Omega Chapter.

Sunday, May 2nd, 1937: He was a special guest on the Los Angeles-based radio program "Help Thy Neighbor" hosted by Hal Styles.