Famous Hollywood celebs exposed as white racists
Most people in the West probably know the macho cowboy actor, John Wayne, was a racist, but what of other famous Hollywood actors and film makers?
The photos below are of actors and film-makers from the old days of Hollywood, an era long gone. They're people who were once admired or respected, but now their racism has been revealed, they are (at least to me) repulsive (some more than others), and their films will no longer be remembered fondly nor watched again.
Some of these racists' attitudes towards, and and beliefs about, non-white people were extremely deep-rooted, and they were unapologetic when questioned about holding such views. Some of them hated Jews so their racism was not only against non-whites.
Some white entertainers might not have been racists themselves, but they went along with the racist norms of their industry and of American society at that time, such as performing to white-only audiences. Frank Sinatra initially performed to white-only audiences, but later on he opposed such segregation and refused to perform at such events, and he supported Sammy Davis-Junior, and black civil rights. However, see this video (at 20 mins) for information on Sinatra's racism. It reveals how some actors portrayed themselves in public as against racism and supportive of black rights yet privately they were racists.
Some racists secretly admitted they were wrong to hold racist views, but they, and their studio bosses, kept such views secret and only aired them in private settings.
Some racists made no secret of their desire to avoid interaction with non-whites except where necessary for film-making. For example, they let it be known they wished to dine with whites-only. Some racists actively opposed racial integration, or called for minimal representation of non-whites in film scenes, which adversely affected the latters' career progression.
This video (called: "Classic Hollywood Celebrities Who Were Racist In Reality") describes each racist's racist nature and beliefs. It would be naive to think those shown below were the only racists in Hollywood at that time, or that there are none currently.
This video "20 Worst Hollywood Celebs of the 1960s You Didn't Know Were Racist" exposes some actors who - as its title says - were not known for being deeply racist. Some of them were also two-faced (appearing to be against racism in public, but being racist in private).
Perhaps the most inhumane among these racists were Shirley Temple and Audrey Hepburn.
While Temple was a UN diplomat, she blocked African nations from UN membership and described those nations as uncivilised. She referred to African diplomats as savages who need Christian discipline.
As UN ambassador, Temple vetoed aid to black countries saying it was wasteful spending. Temple proposed segregated educational systems in African nations, and she banned her black employees from sharing the same bathroom as her white employees.
She is directly responsible for the deaths of black people as a result of her decision to block $50m in famine relief to Ethiopia in 1974, saying "they breed like animals anyway".
Temple diverted funds from African aid programmes to European children, calling it "investing in civilisation".
While working for the charitable organisation, UNICEF, Hepburn consistently vetoed (according to UNICEF memoranda) adverts featuring black children.
In her private correspondence, Hepburn said Sidney Poitier was: "too dark for romance". Having searched for further information to confirm or corroborate these racist comments, I found none. That does not make them untrue, but it does cast doubt on their credibility. Reading the comments to this video, a couple of other actors were mentioned as being racists: Reagan and Robert Mitchum. Of Mitchum, one said: "Tony Curtis agreed to appear starring opposite Sidney Poitier in “The Defiant Ones.” But Curtis said his role was first offered to Robert Mitchum. Mitchum refused the part, stating that he would never appear in a movie with a black person."
The list of 20 racists are set out below:
Judy Garland
Shirley Temple
Joan Crawford
Charlton Heston
Kirk Douglas
Jerry Lewis
Glenn Ford
Richard Widmark- the video exposes his racist past but Sydney Poitier has this to say of Widmark: “Widmark was a great actor and a really nice guy, and no way was he racist,”. Perhaps Widmark was selective in his racism.
Marlon Brando - I was shocked to hear about his racism and wonder to what extent it is true, given his very public support of American Indians. Perhaps he did not extend his racial support of American Indians to African Americans
Rock Hudson
Tony Curtis
Natalie Wood
Steve McQueen
Paul Newman
Audrey Hepburn
James Stewart
Lee Marvin
Bob Hope
Frank Sinatra
John Wayne
To show how one has to be careful about labelling a person a racist, this video "
Old Hollywood Legends Who Said No to Racism — And Meant It" portrays some white actors branded as being racist in another video, as not being racists, leaving one confused and suspicious. One has to read and listen carefully to detect bias and innuendo and implications in the videos. It's also worth noting that very little is widely available of these actors supporting or condemning racism in their time. Where are the quotes or articles or other documents that prove beyond doubt their racism or ant-racism beliefs? Perhaps, with time and research, these will be found and made public.
In addition to racist individuals, it's worth highlighting the systemic racism of the American film industry, and highlighting that some white actors and white film-makers conscientiously sought to limit the opportunities and careers of non-white actors. This is exemplified by white actors playing non-white characters, such as Wayne, Brando and Rooney portraying an oriental person (Brando was one of the relatively few white actors who actively opposed racism).
Another video on this subject is called '22 Extremely Racist Old Hollywood Stars'. It's important to be thoughtful and to critically evaluate each person mentioned to determine whether that person is definitely racist or possibly racist, i.e., to distinguish those white people who are confirmed racists from white people who are categorised as racists based on unconfirmed allegations or rumours, or because they went along with the norms of a deeply racist society without questioning or opposing such systemic racism. I would not class the latter group as racists; lucky cowards but not white racists.
It's also notable that the character some actors portrayed on-screen was the opposite of their true character. Spencer Tracy, for example, played people who were moral, decent, and courageous, yet off-screen he was a racist. Walter Brennan played affable characters, but he was an arch racist. Walt Disney came across on screen as a likeable and decent fellow spreading happiness on screen, yet he was a racist.
It is accepted that non-white people are also susceptible to extreme racism.
The photos below are of actors and film-makers from the old days of Hollywood, an era long gone. They're people who were once admired or respected, but now their racism has been revealed, they are (at least to me) repulsive (some more than others), and their films will no longer be remembered fondly nor watched again.
Some of these racists' attitudes towards, and and beliefs about, non-white people were extremely deep-rooted, and they were unapologetic when questioned about holding such views. Some of them hated Jews so their racism was not only against non-whites.
Some white entertainers might not have been racists themselves, but they went along with the racist norms of their industry and of American society at that time, such as performing to white-only audiences. Frank Sinatra initially performed to white-only audiences, but later on he opposed such segregation and refused to perform at such events, and he supported Sammy Davis-Junior, and black civil rights. However, see this video (at 20 mins) for information on Sinatra's racism. It reveals how some actors portrayed themselves in public as against racism and supportive of black rights yet privately they were racists.
Some racists secretly admitted they were wrong to hold racist views, but they, and their studio bosses, kept such views secret and only aired them in private settings.
Some racists made no secret of their desire to avoid interaction with non-whites except where necessary for film-making. For example, they let it be known they wished to dine with whites-only. Some racists actively opposed racial integration, or called for minimal representation of non-whites in film scenes, which adversely affected the latters' career progression.
This video (called: "Classic Hollywood Celebrities Who Were Racist In Reality") describes each racist's racist nature and beliefs. It would be naive to think those shown below were the only racists in Hollywood at that time, or that there are none currently.
This video "20 Worst Hollywood Celebs of the 1960s You Didn't Know Were Racist" exposes some actors who - as its title says - were not known for being deeply racist. Some of them were also two-faced (appearing to be against racism in public, but being racist in private).
Perhaps the most inhumane among these racists were Shirley Temple and Audrey Hepburn.
While Temple was a UN diplomat, she blocked African nations from UN membership and described those nations as uncivilised. She referred to African diplomats as savages who need Christian discipline.
As UN ambassador, Temple vetoed aid to black countries saying it was wasteful spending. Temple proposed segregated educational systems in African nations, and she banned her black employees from sharing the same bathroom as her white employees.
She is directly responsible for the deaths of black people as a result of her decision to block $50m in famine relief to Ethiopia in 1974, saying "they breed like animals anyway".
Temple diverted funds from African aid programmes to European children, calling it "investing in civilisation".
While working for the charitable organisation, UNICEF, Hepburn consistently vetoed (according to UNICEF memoranda) adverts featuring black children.
In her private correspondence, Hepburn said Sidney Poitier was: "too dark for romance". Having searched for further information to confirm or corroborate these racist comments, I found none. That does not make them untrue, but it does cast doubt on their credibility. Reading the comments to this video, a couple of other actors were mentioned as being racists: Reagan and Robert Mitchum. Of Mitchum, one said: "Tony Curtis agreed to appear starring opposite Sidney Poitier in “The Defiant Ones.” But Curtis said his role was first offered to Robert Mitchum. Mitchum refused the part, stating that he would never appear in a movie with a black person."
The list of 20 racists are set out below:
Judy Garland
Shirley Temple
Joan Crawford
Charlton Heston
Kirk Douglas
Jerry Lewis
Glenn Ford
Richard Widmark- the video exposes his racist past but Sydney Poitier has this to say of Widmark: “Widmark was a great actor and a really nice guy, and no way was he racist,”. Perhaps Widmark was selective in his racism.
Marlon Brando - I was shocked to hear about his racism and wonder to what extent it is true, given his very public support of American Indians. Perhaps he did not extend his racial support of American Indians to African Americans
Rock Hudson
Tony Curtis
Natalie Wood
Steve McQueen
Paul Newman
Audrey Hepburn
James Stewart
Lee Marvin
Bob Hope
Frank Sinatra
John Wayne
To show how one has to be careful about labelling a person a racist, this video "
Old Hollywood Legends Who Said No to Racism — And Meant It" portrays some white actors branded as being racist in another video, as not being racists, leaving one confused and suspicious. One has to read and listen carefully to detect bias and innuendo and implications in the videos. It's also worth noting that very little is widely available of these actors supporting or condemning racism in their time. Where are the quotes or articles or other documents that prove beyond doubt their racism or ant-racism beliefs? Perhaps, with time and research, these will be found and made public.
In addition to racist individuals, it's worth highlighting the systemic racism of the American film industry, and highlighting that some white actors and white film-makers conscientiously sought to limit the opportunities and careers of non-white actors. This is exemplified by white actors playing non-white characters, such as Wayne, Brando and Rooney portraying an oriental person (Brando was one of the relatively few white actors who actively opposed racism).
Another video on this subject is called '22 Extremely Racist Old Hollywood Stars'. It's important to be thoughtful and to critically evaluate each person mentioned to determine whether that person is definitely racist or possibly racist, i.e., to distinguish those white people who are confirmed racists from white people who are categorised as racists based on unconfirmed allegations or rumours, or because they went along with the norms of a deeply racist society without questioning or opposing such systemic racism. I would not class the latter group as racists; lucky cowards but not white racists.
It's also notable that the character some actors portrayed on-screen was the opposite of their true character. Spencer Tracy, for example, played people who were moral, decent, and courageous, yet off-screen he was a racist. Walter Brennan played affable characters, but he was an arch racist. Walt Disney came across on screen as a likeable and decent fellow spreading happiness on screen, yet he was a racist.
It is accepted that non-white people are also susceptible to extreme racism.
