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IMDbPro

Jess Lee Brooks(1894-1944)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Jess Lee Brooks a.k.a Jesse Brooks was an exceptional actor. He appeared in many of the top Black Cinema movies of the time, always playing the role of the caring policemen trying to warn the gangsters before it's too late, a father who would die for his kids. Whatever he played he was always a guardian angel over ones he cared for, the only time he would do wrong was if you wronged him or a loved one. Movie audiences felt as though they knew him when seeing him off-screen because on-screen his natural, love, kind word for all and protective persona reminded them of their father. Even in Hollywood films, he often outshone many of the white leading stars with his strong presence like in Sullivan's Travels where he gave an emotional performance that no one will ever forget after seeing it. Brooks died in 1944 and got respectful obituaries written about him. He was a man who wasn't afraid of being emotional or loving but was the definition of a man.
BornJune 10, 1894
DiedDecember 13, 1944(50)
BornJune 10, 1894
DiedDecember 13, 1944(50)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
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Known for

Dorothy Dandridge, Stuart Erwin, Peggy Moran, Ona Munson, and Don Terry in Drums of the Congo (1942)
Drums of the Congo
5.3
  • Chief Madjeduka
  • 1942
Jess Lee Brooks, Monte Hawley, CeePee Johnson, Tommie Moore, and Marguerite Whitten in Mystery in Swing (1940)
Mystery in Swing
5.3
  • John Carroll
  • 1940
Louise Beavers in Life Goes On (1938)
Life Goes On
5.8
  • Officer James(as Jess Brooks)
  • 1938
Ralph Cooper in Am I Guilty? (1940)
Am I Guilty?
5.6
  • Doctor Fairchild
  • 1940

Credits

IMDbPro

Actor



  • Ray Milland, Doris Dowling, Phillip Terry, and Jane Wyman in The Lost Weekend (1945)
    The Lost Weekend
    7.8
    • Hospital Patient (uncredited)
    • 1945
  • Vincent Price, Charles Coburn, Mary Anderson, William Eythe, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Cedric Hardwicke, Alexander Knox, Thomas Mitchell, and Ruth Nelson in Wilson (1944)
    Wilson
    6.3
    • White House Servant from Georgia (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Tommy Dorsey in Girl Crazy (1943)
    Girl Crazy
    6.8
    • Buckets (uncredited)
    • 1943
  • Lon Chaney Jr., Louise Allbritton, Evelyn Ankers, and Robert Paige in Son of Dracula (1943)
    Son of Dracula
    6.0
    • Stephen, the Valet (uncredited)
    • 1943
  • Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, John Garfield, Jack Carson, Eddie Cantor, Joan Leslie, Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan, Ann Sheridan, Dinah Shore, and Alexis Smith in Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
    Thank Your Lucky Stars
    6.7
    • Justice in 'Ice Cold Katy' Number (uncredited)
    • 1943
  • Ann Corio and Buster Crabbe in Jungle Siren (1942)
    Jungle Siren
    3.8
    • Chief Selangi
    • 1942
  • Dorothy Dandridge, Stuart Erwin, Peggy Moran, Ona Munson, and Don Terry in Drums of the Congo (1942)
    Drums of the Congo
    5.3
    • Chief Madjeduka
    • 1942
  • Mantan Moreland and Florence O'Brien in Lucky Ghost (1942)
    Lucky Ghost
    5.8
    • Door Man (as Jessie Brooks)
    • 1942
  • Gracie Allen in Mr. and Mrs. North (1942)
    Mr. and Mrs. North
    6.0
    • Oscar (uncredited)
    • 1942
  • Veronica Lake in Sullivan's Travels (1941)
    Sullivan's Travels
    7.9
    • Church Preacher Showing Movie (uncredited)
    • 1941
  • Evelyn Ankers, Gabriel Dell, Gladys George, Huntz Hall, Billy Halop, Barton MacLane, Bernard Punsly, and Bobs Watson in Hit the Road (1941)
    Hit the Road
    5.8
    • Rufus (uncredited)
    • 1941
  • Marlene Dietrich, Mischa Auer, Bruce Cabot, Andy Devine, and Roland Young in The Flame of New Orleans (1941)
    The Flame of New Orleans
    6.5
    • First Black Man at Opera (uncredited)
    • 1941
  • Sybil Lewis and Clarence Muse in Broken Strings (1940)
    Broken Strings
    5.7
    • Dr. Matson
    • 1940
  • Jack Benny, Fred Allen, and Mary Martin in Love Thy Neighbor (1940)
    Love Thy Neighbor
    6.6
    • Master of Ceremonies - Costume Party (uncredited)
    • 1940
  • Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, and Raymond Massey in Santa Fe Trail (1940)
    Santa Fe Trail
    6.2
    • Doorman at Washington Party (uncredited)
    • 1940

Soundtrack



  • Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, John Garfield, Jack Carson, Eddie Cantor, Joan Leslie, Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan, Ann Sheridan, Dinah Shore, and Alexis Smith in Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
    Thank Your Lucky Stars
    6.7
    • performer: "Ice Cold Katy" (1943) (uncredited)
    • 1943
  • Veronica Lake in Sullivan's Travels (1941)
    Sullivan's Travels
    7.9
    • Soundtrack ("Let My People Go", uncredited)
    • 1941

Personal details

  • Alternative names
    • Jesse Lee Brooks
  • Born
    • June 10, 1894
    • Jefferson, Texas, USA
  • Died
    • December 13, 1944
    • Hollywood, California, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • Rita Catherine Brooks
  • Other works
    Stage actor.

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