Leigh Rollin Whipper (October 29, 1876 – July 26, 1975) was an American actor on the stage and in motion pictures. He was the first African American to join the Actors' Equity Association, and one of the founders of the Negro Actors Guild of America. He is best known for creating the role of Crooks in the original Broadway production of Of Mice and Men, which he reprised in the 1939 film version. Educated at Howard University Law School, he left in 1895 and never practiced as a lawyer. Without any dramatic training, he made his first Broadway appearance in Georgia Minstrels. His first film role was in the 1920 silent film The Symbol of the Unconquered. During the Second World War, Whipper was a member of the steering committee of Negro Division the Hollywood Victory Committee.
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Leigh Whipper was a pioneering American stage and screen actor who made history as the first African American member of the Actors' Equity Association.
He is best known for creating the role of Crooks in the original Broadway production and the 1939 film adaptation of Of Mice and Men.
He co-founded the Negro Actors Guild of America and served on the steering committee for the Negro Division of the Hollywood Victory Committee.
