Bill Robinson
Actor · Died November 25, 1949, aged 71 · Richmond, Virginia, USA
According to one jazz dance source, Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson was the chief instigator for getting tap dance "up on its toes." Early forms of tap, including the familiar "buck and wing", contained a flat-footed style, while Robinson performed on the balls of his feet with a shuffle-tap style that allowed him more improvisation. It obviously got him noticed and it certainly made him a legend. Born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia, on May 25, 1878, he was orphaned in infancy and reared by a grandmother. He took his brother Bill's name for his own once he went professional. His brother, in turn, took the name Percy and later became a renowned drummer. Hoofing in beer gardens at age 6, Bojangles joined traveling companies and vaudeville tours in his teens and slowly built up a successful reputation in nightclubs and musical comedies. He headlined with Cab Calloway many times at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. Bojangles' unique sound came from using wooden taps and his direct claim to fame would be the creation of his famous "stair dance," which involved tapping up and down a flight of stairs both backwards and forwards. Both black and white audiences were taken by his style and finesse and, following the demise of vaudeville, he easily transferred his talents to Broadway. Lew Leslie, a white producer, put together "Blackbirds of 1928," an all-black revue that would prominently feature Bill and other black musical talents. From there it was films for the now old-timer. In the 1930s various studios usurped his patented talent in their old-fashioned Depression-era musicals. Times being what they were, he was typically cast as a butler or servant. Nevertheless, he enjoyed immense popularity, especially when partnered with reigning #1 box office moppet Shirley Temple. Bojangles would be featured in four of Shirley's sentimental vehicles: The Little Colonel (1935) (in which he recreated his "stair dance" with her), The Littlest Rebel (1935), Just Around the Corner (1938) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938). In addition, he assisted in the choreography on one of her other films, Dimples (1936). For the most part Bill was a specialty player, but every once in a while he got into the thick of things, playing Lena Horne's love interest in One Mile from Heaven (1937) for instance. Still tapping his heart out as a 60-year-old, Bojangles returned to the stage in "The Hot Mikado" which was a tuneful jazz reworking of Gilbert and Sullivan's classic operetta. Suffering from a chronic heart condition, he slowed down in the mid-'40s and died in New York City in 1949 of heart disease.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 25, 1878
- November 25, 1949 (aged 71)
- Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Actor
- 7 on MovieCove · 16 credits in all
What are Bill Robinson's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 8 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1
Gentle 6 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 7 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 2
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 8 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 8 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.
- Allyas Walker in The Little Colonel (1935)
- Mentoras Uncle Billy in The Littlest Rebel (1935)
- Allyas Corporal Jones in Just Around the Corner (1938)
- Heroas Bill Williamson in Stormy Weather (1943)
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Bill Robinson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Bill Robinson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
16 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Dancetime Tap Dance History (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
That's Dancing!(1985)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Stormy Weather(1943)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Up the River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Road Demon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Just Around the Corner(1938)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
One Mile from Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
The Littlest Rebel(1935)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
In Old Kentucky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
The Big Broadcast of 1936 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
The Little Colonel(1935)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all filmsKing for a Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Harlem Is Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Dixiana(1930)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all filmsThe Delicatessen Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Career shape
Star power in the 76th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 16 titles from 1929 to 2011.
Film career
- 1935Screen debut· The Little Colonel
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Bill Robinson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 6 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Bill Robinson work with?
People who share at least 2 of Bill Robinson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Shirley Temple shares the most, 5.
Directors
- David ButlerShared titles: The Little Colonel (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935)See all 2 shared titles with David Butler
Writers
- William M. ConselmanShared titles: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), The Little Colonel (1935)See all 2 shared titles with William M. Conselman
Actors
- Shirley TempleShared titles: Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults (1997), Just Around the Corner (1938), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), The Little Colonel (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935)See all 5 shared titles with Shirley Temple
- Bert LahrShared titles: Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults (1997), Just Around the Corner (1938)See all 2 shared titles with Bert Lahr
- Fats WallerShared titles: Stormy Weather (1943), Hooray for Love (1935)See all 2 shared titles with Fats Waller
Composers and cinematographers
- Cyril J. MockridgeShared titles: Stormy Weather (1943), The Little Colonel (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935)See all 3 shared titles with Cyril J. Mockridge
- Arthur C. MillerShared titles: Just Around the Corner (1938), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), The Little Colonel (1935)See all 3 shared titles with Arthur C. Miller
Producers
- William LeBaronShared titles: Stormy Weather (1943), Dixiana (1930)See all 2 shared titles with William LeBaron
- Buddy G. DeSylvaShared titles: The Little Colonel (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935)See all 2 shared titles with Buddy G. DeSylva