Hairston also portrayed Brock Peters' father in "To Kill a Mockingbird," and acted in a number of John Wayne films. For sixteen years, he was the voice of Leroy on Amos 'N' Andy, and he played a native in eight of the ten Tarzan films. He went on to write scores for numerous films, even composing a spiritual for use in the film "Lilies of the Field." In that film, Hairston's dubbed voice can be heard singing his song "Amen" while Sidney Poitier lip synchs. After auditioning for a few films, Hairston was hired to arrange the music and conduct the choir for the soundtrack of Dmitri Tiomkin's film "Lost Horizons." This film would jumpstart Hairston's career. Soon, he was assistant director of the choir, and led the group on a trip to Hollywood to search out film roles. After Juilliard, Hairston joined the Howell Johnson Negro Choir and developed a strong interest in spirituals. After one semester, his singing talent earned him a full scholarship for the rest of his Tufts years.Īfter graduating in 1929, Hairston moved to New York City, where he spent two years at Juilliard before entering the workforce. Hairston auditioned for Lewis on the front porch of Lewis' Professors Row home, and was immediately accepted to Tufts. That summer, he met a 1927 Tufts graduate, who suggested that Hairston meet with Tufts music professor Leo Lewis. Hairston applied to Tufts to study music, but was rejected. A local school teacher and choral accompanist named Anna Laura Kidder recognized Hairston's talent, and offered to loan him enough money to complete his education. In 1926, Hairston was able to go back to Amherst, and it would be there that his singing talent would change the direction of his life. He moved to Boston, and for the next five years, he worked winters hauling coal, and waited tables on a Boston to York passenger boat during the summer. After one year of schooling, Hairston realized he could not afford to go back. During high school, he worked in a brickyard to earn money for college, finally matriculating at the Massachusetts Agricultural School, now UMASS/Amherst, to study landscape architecture. His family soon moved to Pennsylvania, and Hairston spent his childhood outside of Pittsburgh. Hairston was born on Jin Belews Creek, North Carolina. Jester Hairston (1901-2000), A1929, H1972, was a talented musician, composer, and actor who appeared in such films as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and, most recently, "Being John Malkovich."
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