Al Jolson (1886–1950)

Soundtrack | Actor | Composer

Al Jolson was known in the industry as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," for well over 40 years. ...

Born: May 26, 1886
Died: October 23, 1950 (age 64)

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Filmography

Known For

The Jazz Singer Jakie Rabinowitz (1927)
King Kong Soundtrack (2005)
Payback Soundtrack (1999)
Known For

Goodfellas Jakie Rabinowitz (1990)
Soundtrack

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2018)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (2018)
Gotti (2018)
La Bolduc (2018)
The Death Switch (2018)
Planet California (2018)
The Leftovers (2017)
Huell's California Adventures: National Parks (2017)
Huell's California Adventures: Huell and Louie Hit the Road (2017)
Z: The Beginning of Everything (2017)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)
BioShock Infinite (2013)
The Oohs (2012)
Just 45 Minutes from Broadway (2012)
Finnish Blood Swedish Heart (2012)
Boardwalk Empire (2010-2011)
Showboaters (2011)
The Rite (2011)
Carsex (2010)
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (2010)
The Sons of Tennessee Williams (2010)
Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin' (2010)
Lennon Naked (2010)
Marmaduke (2010)
California's Gold (1999-2010)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression (2009)
Agnes Moorehead Is God! (2008)
Leatherheads (2008)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1920s: The Dawn of the Hollywood Musical (2008)
American Masters (1997-2007)
The Brothers Warner (2007)
Cold Case (2007)
The O.C. (2003-2007)
King Kong (2005)
The White Countess (2005)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2004-2005)
The Aviator (2004)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2004)
Hollywood's Magical Island: Catalina (2003)
The Saddest Music in the World (2003)
Deutschland sucht den Superstar (2003)
A Guy Thing (2003)
Sinatra: The Classic Duets (2002)
One Night with Robbie Williams (2001)
I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special (2001)
The Cat's Meow (2001)
Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001)
Bamboozled (2000)
When Brendan Met Trudy (2000)
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
The Last September (1999)
Payback (1999)
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998)
Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults (1997)
Bogus (1996)
Richard III (1995)
Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
Here's Looking at You, Warner Bros. (1991)
Palabras de mujer (1990)
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Avalon (1990)
Goodfellas (1990)
Screen One (1989)
Roger & Me (1989)
Family Ties (1987)
The Brave Little Toaster (1987)
Miami Vice (1987)
The Singing Detective (1986)
Mr. Belvedere (1986)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985)
Phar Lap (1983)
The Benny Hill Show (1983)
Hooray for Hollywood (1982)
It Came from Hollywood (1982)
The Last Horror Film (1982)
Toto (1982)
M*A*S*H (1981-1982)
Time Bandits (1981)
Cannon and Ball (1980)
Falling in Love Again (1980)
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
Jack Frost (1979)
De Mike Burstyn show (1979)
The Muppet Show (1977-1978)
All in the Family (1977-1978)
Philadelphia, Here I Come (1977)
Kinky Tricks (1977)
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (1977)
All You Need Is Love (1977)
Upstairs, Downstairs (1975)
Brother Can You Spare a Dime (1975)
Funny Lady (1975)
The Waltons (1974)
California Split (1974)
The Best of Benny Hill (1974)
The Graham Kennedy Show (1972-1973)
Jack Benny's Twentieth Anniversary Special (1970)
33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee (1969)
The Wrecking Crew (1968)
The Ed Sullivan Show (1968)
Star! (1968)
The Anniversary (1968)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
Bandstand (1967)
The Silencers (1966)
Shindig! (1964-1965)
Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
Hollywood and the Stars (1963)
The Jimmy Dean Show (1963)
Meet Sammy Davis Jr. 1 (1963)
The Jack Benny Program (1957-1962)
Hollywood: The Golden Years (1961)
A Majority of One (1961)
Sing Along with Mitch (1961)
Susan Slade (1961)
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960)
Ice Palace (1960)
Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (1959)
The Eddie Fisher Show (1959)
The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1959)
The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1958)
Studio One in Hollywood (1958)
The Frank Sinatra Show (1958)
The Helen Morgan Story (1957)
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1957)
The Wings of Eagles (1957)
La joie de vivre (1956)
The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Name That Tune (1954)
The Danny Thomas Show (1953)
The Milton Berle Show (1953)
Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (1952)
The Story of Will Rogers (1952)
With a Song in My Heart (1952)
On Moonlight Bay (1951)
The Idiot (1951)
Bushy Hare (1950)
Chain Lightning (1950)
Feudin' Rhythm (1949)
Stray Dog (1949)
Jolson Sings Again (1949)
The Great Gatsby (1949)
You're My Everything (1949)
Curtain Razor (1949)
Elizabeth of Ladymead (1948)
I Surrender Dear (1948)
Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1948)
Nothing But the Tooth (1948)
Blondie's Anniversary (1947)
The Egg and I (1947)
Blondie Knows Best (1946)
Margie (1946)
The Jolson Story (1946)
Okay for Sound (1946)
Blondie's Lucky Day (1946)
Rhapsody in Blue (1945)
She's a Sweetheart (1944)
The Impatient Years (1944)
Swooner Crooner (1944)
The Voice That Thrilled the World (1943)
Silver Spurs (1943)
Show-Business at War (1943)
Cairo (1942)
Minstrel Days (1941)
Hold That Ghost (1941)
Hullabaloo (1940)
King of the Lumberjacks (1940)
Africa Squeaks (1940)
Swanee River (1939)
That's Right - You're Wrong (1939)
Hollywood Cavalcade (1939)
The Movies March On (1939)
Believe It or Else (1939)
Rose of Washington Square (1939)
Jerry Livingston and His Talk of the Town Music (1939)
Sweethearts (1938)
You're an Education (1938)
Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)
The Kid Comes Back (1938)
The Goldwyn Follies (1938)
Swing Your Lady (1938)
The Candid Camera Story (Very Candid) of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures 1937 Convention (1937)
Hollywood Hotel (1937)
You're Only Young Once (1937)
Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937)
There Goes the Groom (1937)
Community Sing: Series 2, No. 1 (1937)
Bring on the Girls (1937)
After the Thin Man (1936)
The Singing Kid (1936)
Love on a Bet (1936)
Pirate Party on Catalina Isle (1935)
Music Is Magic (1935)
The Payoff (1935)
Here Comes the Band (1935)
Buddy Steps Out (1935)
Go Into Your Dance (1935)
Evelyn Prentice (1934)
Wonder Bar (1934)
March of the Movies (1933)
Advice to the Forlorn (1933)
Melody Cruise (1933)
Hallelujah I'm a Bum (1933)
Big City Blues (1932)
Mr. Robinson Crusoe (1932)
Big Boy (1930)
Mammy (1930)
The Song Writers' Revue (1930)
New York Nights (1929)
Little Miss Everybody (1929)
Horace Heidt and His Californians (1929)
Say It with Songs (1929)
Blackmail (1929)
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929)
Jack White with the Montrealers (1929)
Pigskin Troubles (1929)
Lucky Boy (1928)
The Singing Fool (1928)
A Breath of Broadway (1928)
Down South (1928)
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Soundtrack

A Plantation Act (1926)
Actor

Jolson Sings Again Al Jolson (1949)
Rhapsody in Blue Al Jolson (1945)
Swanee River Edwin P. Christy (1939)
Hollywood Cavalcade Al Jolson - Recreation of 'The Jazz Singer' Scene (1939)
Rose of Washington Square Ted Cotter (1939)
Hollywood Handicap Al Jolson (1938)
Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 12 Al Jolson (1937)
A Day at Santa Anita Al Jolson (1937)
The Singing Kid Al Jackson (1936)
Go Into Your Dance Al Howard (1935)
Wonder Bar Al Wonder (1934)
Hallelujah I'm a Bum Bumper (1933)
Big Boy Gus (1930)
Show Girl in Hollywood Al Jolson - Cameo Appearance at Premiere (1930)
Mammy Al Fuller (1930)
New York Nights Al Jolson - Cameo (1929)
Say It with Songs Joe Lane (1929)
The Singing Fool Al Stone (1928)
The Jazz Singer Jakie Rabinowitz (1927)
Actor

Mammy's Boy Al (1923)
Archive footage

The Movies (2019)
Amazing World of Radio (2018)
L'arrivée du parlant (2017)
How to Win the US Presidency (2016)
Welcome to the Basement (2014)
Life Itself (2014)
Vito (2011)
Al Jolson Entertaining American Troops (2009)
Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me (2009)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression (2009)
Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock (2009)
1929: The Great Crash (2009)
Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer (2008)
Warner at War (2008)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical Treasure (2008)
A Look at Al Jolson (2007)
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk (2007)
City Confidential (2007)
Great Performances (1999-2005)
Broadway: The American Musical (2004)
Biography (1995-2001)
Walk on By: The Story of Popular Song (2001)
The Sweet Science (1999)
Classified X (1998)
The Canadians (1998)
Mary Pickford: A Life on Film (1997)
American Masters (1997)
Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults (1997)
The Celluloid Closet (1995)
Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home to (1991)
Goodfellas (1990)
Talking Pictures (1988)
KTLA at 40: A Celebration of Los Angeles Television (1986)
Going Hollywood: The '30s (1984)
Almonds and Raisins (1984)
Showbiz Goes to War (1982)
Hooray for Hollywood (1982)
Hollywood (1980)
Bob Hope's Overseas Christmas Tours: Around the World with the Troops - 1941-1972 (1980)
The Jazz Singer (1977)
All You Need Is Love (1977)
Brother Can You Spare a Dime (1975)
The All Talking, All Singing, All Dancing Show (1973)
Film Night (1970-1971)
Hollywood and the Stars (1963-1964)
Hollywood: The Golden Years (1961)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino (1961)
The Twentieth Century (1959)
The Jackie Gleason Show (1957)
I Never Forget a Face (1956)
Screen Snapshots: Ramblin' Round Hollywood (1955)
Screen Snapshots: The Great Al Jolson (1955)
The Ford 50th Anniversary Show (1953)
Screen Snapshots: Memorial to Al Jolson (1952)
The Story of Will Rogers (1952)
Purple Heart Diary (1951)
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Memories (1951)
The Naughty Twenties (1951)
Fifty Years Before Your Eyes (1950)
The Golden Twenties (1950)
Let's Go to the Movies (1949)
Screen Snapshots: Photoplay Gold Medal Awards (1948)
Okay for Sound (1946)
Wilson (1944)
Take It or Leave It (1944)
The Voice That Thrilled the World (1943)
Minstrel Days (1941)
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 12 (1939)
Archive footage

The Movies March On (1939)
Broadway Highlights No. 1 (1935)
Miscellaneous Crew

The Jolson Story (1946)
Composer

Clarinet (2005)

Awards

3 wins.

Did You Know

Played a critical part in the film careers of James Cagney and Joan Blondell. Jolson owned the rights to Marie Baumer's play, "Penny Arcade" and insisted that Warner Brothers retain the two lead actors in the film version, retitled Sinners' Holiday ...

Quotes

I'll tell you when I'm going to play the Palace. That's when Eddie Cantor and George Burns and Groucho Marx and Jack Benny are on the bill. I'm going to buy out the whole house, and sit in the middle of the orchestra and say, 'Slaves, entertain the ...