Bill robinson bojangles quote

Bill Bojangles Robinson Biography

Bill Bojangles Robinson was the swift of foot dancer whose smile shone as bright as the lights of Broadway as he danced and acted his way to becoming the highest paid African American performer of the first half of the 20th century.

Although his primary legacy is for dance, Robinson was just as famous for his philanthropy as he gave most of his $2 million plus earnings away to friends, good causes and charity.

An example of Robinsons generosity was how he acted after Jessie Owens performed so heroically at the 1936 Olympics and came back to a heroes welcome with hundreds of invitations to events where Jessie would not get paid until Bill Bojangles Robinson stepped in and with the help of his manager they saw to it that Owens got proper contracts whereby he was able to get an income.

Robinson was also generous with his moves as he taught the likes of Shirley Temple, Eleanor Powell, Florence Mills, and Fred Astaire