According to the Internet source given below, Paul Leroy Robeson was an American (born in Princeton, New Jersey) bass baritone concert artist and stage and film actor who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political activism.
An extraordinary personality who achieved so much. A top athlete, actor and singer at the prestigious Rutgers College only the third African-American student ever enrolled there. He later studied at Columbia Law School and in 1934 at the London School of Oriental and African Studies (1934) learning Swahili.
He was a highly regarded staunch supporter of the working class whatever their ethnicity An unrepentant Stalinist however was controversial leading to him being blacklisted during the McCarthy period and the revoking of his passport leaving him unable to leave the USA.
He is remembered for many performance of Othello by William Shakespeare as well as Joe in Show Boat, particularly for his rendition of Ol' Man River.

Websites:
	Paul Robeson	Biography by wikipedia.org.