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Al Jolson

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Overview

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Actor, Songwriter
Born:
May 26, 1886 in Srednike, Russia
Death:
October 23, 1950 in San Francisco, CA
Biography:Born Asa Yoelson, legendary entertainer "Al Jolson" and his family left Russia when he was a child. The son of a cantor, he first sang in a synagogue. His first show business job was with a circus, which he ran away from home to join; in 1906 he became a black-faced cafe and vaudeville entertainer. After he began working on the New York stage in 1909, he rose to stardom, and was considered by many to be the greatest entertaining talent of his time. In 1923 he was signed by "D.W. Griffith" to appear in "Mammy's Boy", but the film was never made. Three years later he sang three songs in an experimental sound short, "April Showers" (1926). The following year Jolson became immortal when he starred in "The Jazz Singer", the world's first talkie (though most of the sound was background music), in which he spoke several sentences including the famous line "You ain't heard nothin' yet." He next appeared in... Full Biography
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