Jester Hairston

Jester Joseph Hairston (July 9, 1901 – January 18, 2000) was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor and actor. He was regarded as a leading expert on black spirituals and choral music. His notable compositions include "Amen", a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1964 hit for the Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".

Early life Hairston was born in Belews Creek, a rural community on the border of Stokes, Forsyth, Rockingham and Guilford counties in North Carolina. His grandparents had been slaves. Hairston heard his grandmother and her friends talking and singing about plantation life and became determined to preserve this history through music. He became involved in various church choirs and choral groups, and accompanist Anna Laura Kidder saw his potential and became his benefactor. Kidder offered Hairston financial assistance to study music at Tufts University, He was one of the first black students admitted to Tufts. Later he studied music at the Juilliard School.

Hairston pledged the Chi chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity in 1925. He worked as a choir conductor in the early stages of his career. His work with choirs on Broadway eventually led to singing and acting parts in plays, films, radio programs and television shows.

Career Hairston sang with the Hall Johnson Choir in Harlem for a time but was nearly fired from the all-black choir because he had difficulty with the rural dialects that were used in some of the songs. He had to shed his Boston accent and relearn the country speech of his parents and grandparents. Johnson had told him: "We're singing ain't and cain't and you're singing shahn't and cahn't and they don't mix in a spiritual." He wrote and arranged spirituals for Hollywood films as well as for high school and college choirs around the country.

Hairston wrote the song "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956. He also arranged the song "Amen", which he dubbed for the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field, and arranged traditional Negro spirituals. Hairston starred in John Wayne's The Alamo (1960), in which he portrayed "Jethro", a slave owned by Jim Bowie. In 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird Hairston portrayed the uncredited role of the father of accused rapist Tom Robinson. In 1967’s In the Heat of the Night, Hairston portrayed the butler of a wealthy racist being investigated for murder. In both films, Hairston shot scenes alongside men who won an Academy Award for Best Actor in those respective films for portraying white Southerners navigating their jobs through a racially divided culture.

In 1961, the U.S. State Department appointed Hairston as Goodwill Ambassador. He traveled all over the world teaching and performing the folk music of the slaves. In the 1960s, he held choral festivals with public high school choirs, introducing them to Negro spiritual music, and sometimes led several hundred students in community performances. His banter about the history of the songs along with his engaging personality and sense of humor endeared him to many students. He composed more than 300 spirituals. He was the recipient of many honorary doctorates, including a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts in 1972 and a doctorate in music from Tufts in 1977.

Hairston appeared on the television situation comedy The Amos 'n' Andy Show as society sophisticate Henry Van Porter and portrayed the character of Leroy on both the radio and television Amos 'n' Andy programs. at a time when foreign visitors would rarely appear there.

Death Hairston died in Los Angeles of natural causes in 2000 at age 98. For his contribution to the television industry, Hairston has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard. He is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1936 The Green Pastures Member of Hall Johnson Choir Uncredited 1941 Sundown Native Boy Uncredited 1941 Sullivan's Travels Charlie – Church Projectionist Uncredited 1942 The Vanishing Virginian Mover Uncredited 1942 In This Our Life Black Man in Jail Uncredited 1942 Tales of Manhattan Shantytown Man (Robeson sequence), Uncredited 1942 Across the Pacific Passerby Uncredited 1951 Yes Sir, Mr. Bones Jester Hairston 1952 We're Not Married! Leader of Christmas Carolers Uncredited 1953 So This Is Love Preacher Uncredited 1954 Gypsy Colt Carl 1954 Tanganyika Singer Uncredited 1955 Tarzan's Hidden Jungle Witch Doctor Uncredited 1955 Pete Kelly's Blues Mourner, Pre-Credit Sequence Uncredited 1956 Tension at Table Rock Black Janitor Uncredited 1956 Full of Life Train Porter Uncredited 1957 Band of Angels Plantation Slave Uncredited 1958 St. Louis Blues Choir Member Uncredited 1960 Raymie Ransom 1960 The Alamo Jethro 1961 Summer and Smoke Thomas Uncredited 1962 To Kill a Mockingbird Spence Robinson, Tom's father Uncredited 1967 In the Heat of the Night Butler 1968 Finian's Rainbow Passion Pilgrim Gospeleer Uncredited 1972 Lady Sings the Blues The Butler 1976 The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Furry Taylor, Has-been player selling souvenirs 1976 The Last Tycoon Waiter in Stahr's Office Uncredited 1988 I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Pop Adam 1999 Being John Malkovich Adam Hairston Uncredited, (final film role) Television Year Title Role Notes 1951–1953 The Amos 'n' Andy Show Various 10 episodes 1955 You Are There Thornton 1 episode1956 Gunsmoke Wellington 1 episode The 20th Century Fox Hour Jacob 1 episode 1959 Rawhide Zachariah 1 episode 1961 Thriller Papa Benjamin 1 episode 1962 Have Gun – Will Travel Old Man 1 episode1969 The Outcasts Daniel 1 episode The Virginian John Douglas 1 episode 1974–1975 That's My Mama Wildcat 22 episodes 1975 Harry O Jefferson Johnson 1 episode 1986–1991 Amen Rolly Forbes 110 episodes 1993 Family Matters William 1 episode