Edna Mae Harris
Edna Mae Harris was one of the best-known Black actresses of the 1930s and 1940s. She starred in many all-black cast independently produced movies of the day. An attractive woman who had a soulful voice, personality and sex appeal, she could sing, dance and act. The personification of a Harlem performer, Edna found fame by playing in both stage and screen versions of The Green Pastures (1936) as Zeba. Audiences loved her, and she received glorious reviews, so it was no surprise when Hollywood asked her to repeat her role on screen to wide acclaim. Edna Mae was very much in demand starring in some of the top Black movies such as Spirit of Youth (1938), Paradise in Harlem (1939), Sunday Sinners (1940), The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940), and Tall, Tan, and Terrific (1946), showing her excellent acting skills in drama and comedy. Edna Mae Harris got to tell her story in her later years in the documentary, Midnight Ramble (1994), about independently produced Black films.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 0.2482 |
| Birthday | 1910-09-29 |
| Place of Birth | New York City, New York, USA |
| Also Known As | Edna M. Harris, Edna May Harris, |
1939
Paradise in Harlem
5/7
It is the story of a comedian Lem Anderson who dreams of playing in Shakespeare scenes but he is applied only role in Harlem Vaudeville. One day he is...
Watch Now
Paradise in Harlem
1938
Spirit of Youth
6.143/7
The story of the rise of boxer Joe Thomas, which paralleled the life of Joe Louis.
Watch Now
Spirit of Youth
1939
Lying Lips
5/7
A nightclub singer refuses to "date" customers, so she's framed for the murder of her aunt.
Watch Now
Lying Lips
1936
Fury
7.469/255
Joe, who owns a gas station along with his brothers and is about to marry Katherine, travels to the small town where she lives to visit her, but is wr...
Watch Now
Fury
1936
The Green Pastures
6.333/15
God, heaven, and several Old Testament stories, including the Creation and Noah's Ark, are described supposedly using the perspective of rural, black...
Watch Now
The Green Pastures
1940
Stolen Paradise
10/1
Robert Gordon, a sheltered 18-year-old youth reared in a Catholic school, believes he has a vocation for the priesthood. He is taken to live with his...
Watch Now
Stolen Paradise
1940
The Notorious Elinor Lee
4/1
Gangsters use a woman to get to a boxer and convince him to throw a big fight.
Watch Now
The Notorious Elinor Lee
1943
Stage Door Canteen
6.289/19
A young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of theatre and film appear and host a recreational...
Watch Now
Stage Door Canteen
1940
Sunday Sinners
10/1
Reverend Jesse Hampton has a bone to pick with the management of Club Harlem, a wildly popular nightspot where drinking and dancing are the rule. No o...
Watch Now
Sunday Sinners
1936
Bullets or Ballots
6.58/50
After Police Captain Dan McLaren becomes police commissioner, former detective Johnny Blake publicly punches him, convincing rackets boss Al Kruger th...
Watch Now
Bullets or Ballots
1936
Private Number
6.6/5
Ellen Neal, a young and inexperienced maid, becomes romantically involved with her employers son which causes various complications. The head butler a...
Watch Now
Private Number
1942
Legs Ain't No Good
0/0
Musical short
Watch Now
Legs Ain't No Good
1994
Midnight Ramble
7.333/3
A documentary chronicling the pioneering efforts of black filmmaker William D. Foster in the early years of the industry and Oscar Micheaux's controve...
Watch Now