Robert Adams: Actor – (1906–1965)

Robert Adams was born in Georgetown, Guyana. He was a British actor on stage and screen. He was the founder and director of the Negro Repertory Arts Theatre, one of the first professional Black theatre companies in Britain.

Robert Adams was born in Georgetown, Guyana. He was a British actor on stage and screen. He was the founder and director of the Negro Repertory Arts Theatre, one of the first professional Black theatre companies in Britain.
In Guyana, Robert worked as a teacher and actor before coming to England in 1934 to try and make it as a professional actor. In London, he worked as a labourer and became a champion wrestler before breaking into acting in 1935.
An early role was in the 1936 play, “Toussaint L’Ouverture”, acting alongside Paul Robeson. Robert went on to star in filmes wiht Robeson and he took the lead in a television adaptation of “The Emperor Jones”. The BBC version was transmitted live from Alexandra Palace on May 11, 1938 and Adams became the first black actor to play a leading dramatic role on British Television.