Rosalie King
Encyclopedia
Rosalie King also known as Rosalie Simpson, was an American character actress
and singer.
She appeared on radio in The Maxwell House
Coffee Hour. She was an original member of the Katherine Dunham Company
, leaving because of the troupe's proposed tour of Australia
and New Zealand
(1956 – 1957), citing the distance from her children. The decisison also cost the company the services of her husband, basso profondo Gordon Simpson, for which she later said that Dunham
never fully forgave her. She also performed with the Eva Jessye
Choir.
King was known for the timbre of her contralto
voice. She became a favourite of playwright Langston Hughes
, who wrote original material for her. She costarred
in his play Jericho-Jim Crow
in 1964.
King’s career was cut short by a stroke
in the mid-1960s, she recovered but retired from the stage, doing only occasional performances and consultancies in the 1970s and 1980s. In her later years, King was credited as Rosalie Simpson, her married name from her second marriage. Her stage credits are sometimes confused with those of her daughter, Rosalie King, Jr., a child actor turned educator. Rosalie King died in Ocala, Florida in 1997.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
and singer.
She appeared on radio in The Maxwell House
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. Introduced in 1892, it is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. For many years until the late 1980s it was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S. and is currently second behind...
Coffee Hour. She was an original member of the Katherine Dunham Company
Katherine Dunham Company
The Katherine Dunham Company, a troupe of dancers, singers, actors and musicians, was the first African American modern dance company. It descended from Ballet Negre, a student troupe founded by Katherine Dunham, which later became the Negro Dance Troupe.The company had successful runs on Broadway...
, leaving because of the troupe's proposed tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(1956 – 1957), citing the distance from her children. The decisison also cost the company the services of her husband, basso profondo Gordon Simpson, for which she later said that Dunham
Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham was an American dancer, choreographer, songwriter, author, educator, and activist...
never fully forgave her. She also performed with the Eva Jessye
Eva Jessye
Eva Jessye was an African American who was the first black woman to receive international distinction as a professional choral conductor. She is notable as a choral conductor during the Harlem Renaissance, who created her own choral group featured widely in performance. Her professional influence...
Choir.
King was known for the timbre of her contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
voice. She became a favourite of playwright Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
, who wrote original material for her. She costarred
Supporting actor
A supporting actor is an actor who performs roles in a play or film other than that of the leads.These roles range from bit parts to secondary leads. They are sometimes but not necessarily character roles. A supporting actor must also use restraint not to upstage the main actor/actress in the...
in his play Jericho-Jim Crow
Jericho-Jim Crow
Jerico-Jim Crow is a critically acclaimed 1964 musical, with a book written by Langston Hughes. It was a pioneering work in the urban contemporary gospel musical style, based on the themes of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States...
in 1964.
King’s career was cut short by a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in the mid-1960s, she recovered but retired from the stage, doing only occasional performances and consultancies in the 1970s and 1980s. In her later years, King was credited as Rosalie Simpson, her married name from her second marriage. Her stage credits are sometimes confused with those of her daughter, Rosalie King, Jr., a child actor turned educator. Rosalie King died in Ocala, Florida in 1997.
Selected Broadway credits
- Lovely Ladies, Kind GentlemenLovely Ladies, Kind GentlemenLovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen is a musical with a book by John Patrick and music and lyrics by Stan Freeman and Franklin Underwood.Based on Patrick's play and screenplay The Teahouse of the August Moon, it focuses on Capt. Fisby who, assigned the task of Americanizing the village of Tobiki on...
- 1971 - Okinawan/American - Tambourines to GloryTambourines to GloryTambourines to Glory is a 1956 black gospel musical play by Langston Hughes. It tells the story of two female street preachers who open a store front church in Harlem...
- 1963 - Mattie Morningside - Porgy and BessPorgy and BessPorgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
– original and 1942 revival - Lew LeslieLew LeslieLew Leslie was a Broadway writer and producer. Although white, he was the first impressario to present black artists on stage...
's Blackbirds of 1939 - Roll, Sweet Chariot - 1934
- Run, Little Chillun - 1933 - Sister Mahalie Ockletree
- Bal Nègre - 1946: Flaming Youth, 1927 - The Blues Singer