- At 19, he dropped out of Temple University and worked as a hotel waiter in order to pursue his career. He eventually found work performing an adagio dance with Rae Hewitt and performed on the black vaudeville circuit. As such, he became known for a time as "The Colored Valentino". He was also known as the "John Gilbert of the Colored Race" and the "Sepia William Powell".
- Performed with the Lafayette Players on the Harlem stage. He later formed the Negro Drama Players and Universal Theater in the 1950s.
- Worked as an emcee and straight man in vaudeville for such celebrities as Bessie Smith, Evelyn Nesbit, Mamie Smith, Tim Moore and Jimmy Savo.
- Born in Philadelphia, he spent a large portion of his early life living on his grandfather's Virginia farm.
- He could have been able to pass for white on film and his agent felt that performing in the films of Oscar Micheaux was damaging the progress of his career, but he refused to hide his ethnicity for the sake of his career. As a result, he never made it in mainstream Hollywood films.
- Was cast in a bit part as an Italian in the film Saturday Night Fever (1977) but his scene was cut.
- In 1974 he was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
- Was a tail gunner in the Army Air Forces during WWII. He was then transferred to the infantry and saw combat in France and Germany.
- In the late 1950s he worked as a security guard in Los Angeles and in 1962 he became an autopsy technician for the New York City medical examiner..
- Was cast in Mae West's Broadway play "The Constant Sinner" in 1931. According to Laura Wagner in her article on Tucker for Films of the Golden Age, Issue #79, Winter 2014-2015, Tucker was originally set to star opposite West as gangster Money Johnson but she was met with strong resistance by audiences and theatre owners and was forced to replace him. Tucker took a minor role in the show instead. West always cast black actors in her shows and, as such, Tucker referred to her as one of "the greatest ladies of the theater.".
- Was married four times and was survived by wife Paulina Segura. He had no children.
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