Leon Claxton

Leon Dunkins Claxton (April 5, 1902 – November 14, 1967) was an American vaudeville performer turned producer who led the revue Harlem in Havana, which was staged for several decades and was a feature at the traveling Royal American Shows. An African American, his show featured black performers during the segregation era, and he came to be described as "one of the first African-Americans to find great success and infamy in the outdoor entertainment industry". and debuted his first girl show, Hep Cats, in 1936. His Harlem In Havana shows, incorporating music, dancing and comedy, became the main feature of the Royal American Shows, which toured widely in the U.S. and Canada. The shows were performed in Claxton's 1,600-seater tent during the summer season, and in winter played in nightclubs and theaters. It was one of a small number of hotels for African American performers, athletes, and business people in the American South. Claxton won Tampa's Citizen of the Year Award in 1959.

Claxton married Gwendolyn Bates in Saskatoon, Canada, in 1938. She became co-producer of his shows.

He died in Tampa in 1967.