Biography

Haile Selassie I (23 July 1892 - 27 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (Enderase) for Empress Zewditu from 1916. Haile Selassie is widely considered a defining figure in modern Ethiopian history, and the key figure of Rastafari, a religious movement in Jamaica which emerged shortly after he became emperor in the 1930s. He was a member of the Solomonic dynasty which claims to trace lineage to Emperor Menelik I, believed to be the son of King Solomon and Makeda the Queen of Sheba.
- IMDb mini biography by: Bonitao

226th Negus (Emperor) of Ethiopia. Like all Amharic people, he was a descendant of the marriage of Solomon, the King of Israel, to the Queen of Sheeba, (legend has it that Selassie was a direct descendant). The Amharic people are also said to be descended from Moses and his Midian wife Zipporah.

His post-coronation name "Haile Selassie" means "Emissary of the Holy Trinity".

During one of his visits to the island of Jamaica, he saw RasTafarians worshiping him, (the cult believes he was the second coming of Christ), and he rebuked them for it and told them "Do not worship me, I am not God. I'm only a man. I worship Jesus Christ." The Rastafarians rejected this, saying that this was someone impersonating Haile Selassie. This is all still available for research on old news reels.

The lyrics of Bob Marley's song "War" are taken from a speech given by Haile Selassie in the United Nations.