New Delhi: Google is celebrating French actor Habib Benglia's 128th birthday with a special illustration Doodle . Algeria, Bengaliah became the first African-born actor to play leading roles in both films and theatre, Born in 1895 in Oran.
New Delhi: Google is celebrating French actor Habib Benglia’s 128th birthday with a special illustration Doodle . Algeria, Bengaliah became the first African-born actor to play leading roles in both films and theatre, Born in 1895 in Oran.
Today, Google noted, “Despite prejudice and racism during this time, Benglia performed in over a hundred plays. One of the pioneers of Black theater and film in France, Benglia’s legacy remains at center stage for underrepresented performers everywhere. Happy birthday, Habib Benglia!”
Benglia grew up in Timbuktu and later moved to France for schooling, hoping to one day become an agricultural engineer. He continued his acting career after World War I and was cast in the lead role in The Emperor Jones in 1923, becoming the first black actor to play a leading role in the French theatre.
However, he loved theater from an early age and regularly attended performances. He went on to write several plays, including Un soir à Bamako (An Evening in Bamako), which was broadcast on television in 1950.
Benglia was encouraged to audition for plays after she was seen reciting poems to friends during a talent scout, and subsequently performed in plays such as Le Minaret, Aphrodite and L’Odipe roi de Bouhelier. He went on to take the lead role in films like Dainah la Métisse, Sola, and Les Mystères de Paris. However, Colonial cinema did stifle his efforts to play more versatile characters.
