Biography
James Franklin Baskett (1904–1948) was an American actor. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he began his career on stage and radio before appearing in films, including a role in the 1932 all-Black cast production Harlem Is Heaven. He also played the recurring radio character Gabby Gibson on The Amos 'n' Andy Show.
Baskett voiced Fats Crow in the Disney animated film Dumbo (1941). He is best known for portraying Uncle Remus, and providing the voice of Br'er Fox, in the 1946 Disney film Song of the South. In 1948 he received an Academy Honorary Award for the performance, becoming the first Black male performer to receive an Oscar.
