- Born
- Died
- Nicknames
- Pigmeat
- The Judge
- Pigmeat Markham
- Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham was born on April 18, 1904 in Durham, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Junction 88 (1947), Mr. Smith Goes Ghost (1940) and Am I Guilty? (1940). He was married to Bernice Penn, Marita L. Greene and Cecilia. He died on December 13, 1981 in New York City, New York, USA.
- SpousesBernice Penn(1952 - December 13, 1981) (his death, 2 children)Marita L. Greene(April 18, 1933 - 1936)Cecilia(1922 - April 28, 1931) (her death)
- ChildrenCathyDewey
- ParentsMargaret MitchellAdolpus D. Markham
- The street in Durham, NC, where his family lived became known as Markham Street, and was later given the name officially--a point of pride for the family.
- Archie Campbell's Hee Haw (1969) character Justus O'Peace was an adaptation of Markham's Judge character.
- Had a career upsurge after Sammy Davis Jr. imitated his act on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967) and it sparked interest in "the original Judge". Markham appeared on "Laugh-In", and also issued a novelty record, "Here Come the Judge", with clips from his routines.
- Performed in blackface makeup (even though he was black, or "Negro" as he preferred to be described) for most of his early career; it was the expected thing at the time.
- Left home to join a carnival that passed through town in his teens, and "graduated" from there to vaudeville. His nickname "Pigmeat' came from a comedy sketch where he declared himself "Sweet Poppa Pigmeat" onstage; the name stuck.
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