Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

E579240

African-American artist entertainer film actor human stage actor tap dancer vaudeville performer

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was a pioneering African-American tap dancer and entertainer of the early 20th century, famed for his elegant style, staircase routines, and influential contributions to stage and film.

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All labels observed (4)

Label	Occurrences
Bill Robinson	7
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson canonical	6
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson	1
Mr. Bojangles	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T6271520 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
Context triple: [Bojangles, mainSubject, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson]

A. Bert Williams
Bert Williams was a pioneering African American vaudeville and Broadway comedian, singer, and actor who became one of the most famous and influential entertainers of the early 20th century.
B. Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway was an influential American jazz singer and bandleader known for his energetic performances and scat singing, who became a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance.
C. Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine was an influential American jazz and pop singer and bandleader known for his rich baritone voice and pioneering role in the development of modern jazz.
D. Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines is an American tap dancer, choreographer, actor, and director known for his work on stage and screen and for frequently collaborating with his brother Gregory Hines.
E. Roscoe Lee Browne
Roscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director known for his rich, distinctive voice and acclaimed performances in film, television, and theater.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
Target entity description: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was a pioneering African-American tap dancer and entertainer of the early 20th century, famed for his elegant style, staircase routines, and influential contributions to stage and film.

A. Bert Williams
Bert Williams was a pioneering African American vaudeville and Broadway comedian, singer, and actor who became one of the most famous and influential entertainers of the early 20th century.
B. Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway was an influential American jazz singer and bandleader known for his energetic performances and scat singing, who became a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance.
C. Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine was an influential American jazz and pop singer and bandleader known for his rich baritone voice and pioneering role in the development of modern jazz.
D. Maurice Hines
Maurice Hines is an American tap dancer, choreographer, actor, and director known for his work on stage and screen and for frequently collaborating with his brother Gregory Hines.
E. Roscoe Lee Browne
Roscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director known for his rich, distinctive voice and acclaimed performances in film, television, and theater.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (46)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	African-American artist ⓘ entertainer ⓘ film actor ⓘ human ⓘ stage actor ⓘ tap dancer ⓘ vaudeville performer ⓘ
activeInPeriod	Harlem Renaissance era ⓘ early 20th century ⓘ
birthName	Luther Robinson ⓘ
countryOfCitizenship	United States of America ⓘ
culturalImpact	iconic figure in tap dance history ⓘ symbol of African-American artistic achievement in the early 20th century ⓘ
ethnicGroup	African American ⓘ linked to: Black Americans
familyName	Robinson ⓘ
fieldOfWork	Broadway theatre ⓘ linked to: Broadway theater film acting ⓘ tap dance ⓘ vaudeville ⓘ
genre	tap dance ⓘ
givenName	Luther ⓘ
hasCharacteristic	clarity of footwork ⓘ rhythmic precision ⓘ upright posture in tap dancing ⓘ
influenced	later generations of tap dancers ⓘ tap dancing technique ⓘ
mediumOfPerformance	film ⓘ stage ⓘ vaudeville stage ⓘ
movement	African-American entertainment history ⓘ
name	Bill "Bojangles" Robinson ⓘ
nickname	Bojangles ⓘ
notableFor	breaking racial barriers in entertainment ⓘ elegant tap dancing style ⓘ performances with Shirley Temple ⓘ pioneering African-American tap dancing ⓘ staircase tap dance routines ⓘ
notableWork	stair dance routine ⓘ
occupation	actor ⓘ entertainer ⓘ singer ⓘ tap dancer ⓘ
performingArtsDiscipline	tap dance ⓘ
sexOrGender	male ⓘ
socialSignificance	helped popularize tap dance in mainstream American culture ⓘ opened doors for African-American performers in film and theatre ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (15)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Bojangles → mainSubject → Bill "Bojangles" Robinson ⓘ

Bojangles → titleCharacter → Bill "Bojangles" Robinson ⓘ

Sammy Davis Jr. → notableWork → Mr. Bojangles ⓘ