Gordon Heath

Gordon Heath (September 20, 1918 – August 27, 1991) was an American actor and musician who narrated the animated feature film Animal Farm 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.

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. Many of the duo's folk albums from the 1950s

Filmography

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)