Al Jolson
Born May 26, 1886
Seredzius, Lithuania
Died October 23, 1950
San Francisco, California
Vaudeville entertainer
"You think that's noise—you ain't heard nuttin' yet!"
Al Jolson was arguably the biggest star on Broadway in the early to mid-1900s, with a career that spanned four decades (1911–40). He starred in the first commercially successful "talking" movie (film with sound, as compared with the "silent" films in which all dialogue was printed on the screen), The Jazz Singer, in 1927, and that is the role for which he is best remembered. Jolson was the first Jewish star to publicly acknowledge his Jewish heritage. He is credited with almost single-handedly introducing African American music such as jazz and ragtime to white audiences. He was known in his day as "The World's Greatest Entertainer."
A Young Russian Jew Makes His Way
Al Jolson was born Asa Yoelson on May 26, 1886, in the Lithuanian village of Seredzius, located in Russia. This date cannot be proved to be Jolson's birthday, as no formal birth certificate exists. At that time, Imperial Russia was run by anti-Semites, or people who are racist against Jews, and the authorities did not feel the birth of another Jew was worth recording.
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