Spencer Williams

born: 14 July 1893
Vidalia, Louisiana,
United States of America
died: 13 December 1969
Los Angeles, California,
United States of America
(kidney failure, age 76)

Black American actor and director. He enlisted in the Army in 1914 as a private and was honorably discharged in 1922 as a sergeant. (His full military service in the 1954 Baltimore newspaper bio may be somewhat embellished.) He served almost 2 years in prison (in CA) for "forgery" out of a possible 14 years. A newspaper search didn't turn up any details. He was a pioneer of the African-American film industry as an actor, producer, director, scenario writer and song-writer for "race" movies. In 1931, he built his own studio sound truck "from the wheels up". He played "ANDY" in the "Amos 'n Andy" TV series.
He entered prison at San Quentin (Marin Co.) as a mechanical engineer: height: 5'8¾". He transferred to Folsom (Sacramento) as a scenario writer: height: 5'11". His 1942 WWII Draft Record (Texas) (b.1895) (self-employed): height: 5'11".
There was another SPENCER WILLIAMS (1889-1965), a contemporary, who was a famous and prolific African-American song writer and performer. He lived in Harlem, NYC and in 1931 was charged with the stabbing-death of a young African-American master of ceremonies during an argument outside a nightclub and later cleared of the charge.
Real name: Spencer Williams Jr.
Height: 5'11"
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography.

1


1928
Pass The Gravy
Cook

Acknowledgements:
https://www.ancestry.com/ family-tree/person/tree/ 1625103/person/742012964/ facts?ssrc= (Family Tree of dunnmiller)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6268549 (Veteran's grave at Los Angeles National Cemetery)
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=- lVAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xQIGAAAAIBAJ&pg=3248,665704&dq=spencer+williams&hl=en (Detailed newspaper biography)
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8833/40477_2221301551_2445-01675/312385?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1625103/person/742012964/facts Prison record Folsom.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8833/40477_2221301551_2364-00134/150717?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1625103/person/742012964/facts Photo Folsom Prison.
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/3030/40808_1120704930_0664-00496/258320?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1625103/person/742012964/facts#?imageId=40808_1120704930_0664-00496 (Enters US Army in New York 1914)
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1002/004119755_01813?pid=12141291&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D1002%26h%3D12141291%26ssrc%3Dpt%26tid%3D1625103%26pid%3D742012964%26usePUB%3Dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=1625103&personid=742012964&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true#?imageId=004119755_01813 (WWII Draft Card front)
https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1002/004119755_01813?pid=12141291&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D1002%26h%3D12141291%26ssrc%3Dpt%26tid%3D1625103%26pid%3D742012964%26usePUB%3Dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=1625103&personid=742012964&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true#?imageId=004119755_01814 (WWII Draft Card reverse. height: 5'11")
Jim Jarvis (research and links)
Brent Seguine (help)
Tommie Hicks (help)

This page was last updated on: 11 May 2019