(1886-1950) Russian-born
American singer, actor and entertainer who rose to stardom in the early 1900s on the
New York stage. Jolson rapidly became one of America's most popular entertainers and was well known for his performances in minstrel shows (comic variety shows in which a
group of entertainers with their faces
painted black presented jokes, songs, dances, and comic skits). In 1927 he starred in his
trademark blackface
makeup in the
Jazz Singer, the
world's first
sound motion picture.