Octavus Roy Cohen

Octavus Roy Cohen
Cohen at the East Lake Golf Club, 1925
Born(1891-06-26)June 26, 1891
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedJanuary 6, 1959(1959-01-06) (aged 67)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
Occupation
  • Writer
  • actor
Alma materClemson College
Spouse
Inez Lopez
(m. 1914; died 1953)
Children1

Octavus Roy Cohen (1891–1959) was an early 20th-century American writer specializing in ethnic comedies. His dialect comedy stories about African Americans gained popularity after being published in the Saturday Evening Post and were adapted into a series of short films by Al Christie featuring actors Charles Olden, Spencer Williams Jr., Evelyn Preer, and Edward Thompson. His portrayals drew criticism from the likes of W. E. B. Du Bois, who complained about "the monstrosities he has created".