Vantile Whitfield

Vantile Emmanuel Whitfield (September 8, 1930 – January 9, 2005) was an American arts administrator who helped found several performing arts institutions in the United States.

Early life and education Whitfield was born on September 08, 1930, in Washington, D.C., an only child between Theodore Roosevelt Whitfield and Lugene Ellen Green. He was also known as "Motojicho". Throughout Whitfield's adolescence a path had been taken for him to become successful. Whitfield was a student at Dunbar High School, where he was active in playing football while gaining an interest in painting. The goal of PASLA was to help train inner-city youth in the performing arts.

Whitfield's acting credits also include Tarzan where he was featured in two episodes, The Ultimate Duel as Kimpu and Mask of Rona as the Chief.

He was also founding Artistic Director of Studio West and was enlisted by Robert Hooks, of the D.C. Black Repertory Company, to be its Artistic Director.

In 1971, Whitfield was the founding director of the Expansion Arts Program at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In this role, he had perhaps his greatest influence, because this program provided funds for many African-American artists and arts organizations.

Association with L.A. Rebellion filmmakers Although his tenure at UCLA Film School pre-dates the period generally associated with the L.A. Rebellion, Whitfield had a connection with several filmmakers associated with the film movement. Larry Clark taught film production classes at PASLA while a student at UCLA and directed the short film As Above, So Below (1973) through the organization. Whitfield also acted in Haile Gerima's film Ashes and Embers.

Personal life and death Whitfield divorced three of the four times he married. His first marriage was to Barbara Ellen Cobbs in 1950, his second marriage to Barbara Ann Grant in 1960, and his third marriage to actress Lynn Whitfield in 1974, all of which ended in divorce. In 1993, Whitfield married his fourth wife Loretta Collins, whom he remained married to until his death in 2005. Whitfield fathered three children. Among his descendants are actress Bellina Logan and jazz artist Lance Vantile Whitfield.

Whitfield died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on January 9, 2005.

Awards and recognition 1969: NAACP Image Award 1970: Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award 1992: ETA Creative Arts Foundation Citation Jeff Citation for Among All This You Stand Like a Fine Brownstone 1996: AUDELCO Pioneer Award