Gordon Heath (September 20, 1918 – August 27, 1991) was an American actor and musician who narrated the animated feature film Animal Farm (1954) and appeared in the title role of The Emperor Jones (1953) and Othello (1955), both live BBC telecasts, respectively directed by Alvin Rakoff and Tony Richardson. It featured several kisses between himself and Rosemary Harris and is a contender for the first interracial kiss on television.
Biography Heath was born in New York City, his parents' only child. His father Cyril Gordon Heath had emigrated from Barbados to the US, where he met and married Hattie Hooper. Gordon Heath showed an early talent for both music and art, but opted to pursue an acting career, working on stage and radio. Joining the New York radio station WMCA in 1945 he became the first black staff announcer employed by a major US radio station. In 1945 he appeared on Broadway to great success in the play Deep Are the Roots, written by Arnaud d'Usseau and James Gow, directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Barbara Bel Geddes. The play ran for 447 performances, and when it was subsequently produced in London's West End, Heath reprised his co-starring role in it. After the six-month London run, Heath decided to settle in Paris, France, in 1948.
He also acted in Paris, and in 1950 in London he played Othello on stage and later for BBC Television. He directed an English-speaking production company, the Studio Theater of Paris, for 10 years from the 1960s. This company was responsible for gathering many of the regular English dubbing actors in the city, including Heath, Ginger Hall, Frederick Neumann, Barbara Sommers, Yves Brainville and Heath's music and life partner Lee Payant.
He and Payant operated a Left Bank café in Paris called L'Abbaye, whose clientele included Josephine Baker, Yves Montand, Eartha Kitt, Rita Hayworth and other celebrities of the era, and where they were the entertainers.Bruce Eder, Biography of Gordon Heath and Lee Payant, AllMusic. Many of the duo's folk albums from the 1950s were recorded there and released on various international labels, including Elektra Records. Payant died on December 14, 1976.
Heath died in Paris after a lengthy illness on August 27, 1991.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1953 The Emperor Jones Emperor Brutus Jones TV movie1950-1954 BBC Sunday-Night Theatre Rev. Ezekiel Selby / Stanley Atlas / Brett Charles 3 episodes1954 Animal Farm Narrator Voice1955 Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion Charlie Episode: "The Prayer Rug"1955 Mr. Arkadin Pianist Uncredited1955 The Heroes Are Tired Sidney 1955 Othello Othello TV movie1956 Le secret de soeur Angèle Le trompettiste 1956 Man of Africa Narrator Voice1958 Storm Over Jamaica Coroner 1959 Sapphire Paul Slade 1961 My Baby is Black! Daniel 1962 My Uncle from Texas 1966 Lost Command Dia 1969 Staircase Postman 1969 The Madwoman of Chaillot The Folksinger 1970 Aladdin and His Magic Lamp Magician of Egypt English version, Voice1972 La nuit Bulgare 1972 L'aventure, c'est l'aventure Le général africain 1983 L'africain Le ministre 1985 Asterix Versus Caesar Caesar English version, Voice1986 Asterix in Britain1989 Samuel Fuller's Street of No Return Black Bum (final film role)
Select discography Gordon Heath and Lee Payant Sing Songs of the Abbaye ‒ Elektra (1954) Chants Tradionnels des Etats-Unis – Editions de la Boite à Musique LD 313 (1955) Gordon Heath and Lee Payant Sing Encores from the Abbaye ‒ Elektra (1955) Folksongs and Footnotes – Abbaye Record 1 (1956) An Evening at L'Abbaye – Elektra (1957) Abbaye Anniversary Album – Abbaye Record 2 (1959) Gordon Heath Sings Spirituals – Abbaye Record 3 (1961)
References
Bibliography Bourne, Stephen. "Heath, Gordon." Who's Who in Contemporary Gay & Lesbian History from World War II to the Present Day. Robert Aldrich and Garry Wotherspoon, eds. London and New York: Routledge, 2001. 183. Breman, Paul. "Obituary: Gordon Heath." The Independent (London) (September 13, 1991): 26. Heath, Gordon. Deep Are the Roots: Memoirs of a Black Expatriate. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1992. Shipman, David. "Obituary: Gordon Heath." The Independent (London) (September 2, 1991): 21.
External links Gordon Heath on lgbtq.com
Illustrated Gordon Heath & Lee Payant discography