Birthday Celebrations — November 10

Born on this day. These are the birthdays we celebrate on November 10 — the people whose lives added to the story of Black history.

Jimmy LuValle

Full name: James Ellis LuValle

Born November 10, 1912 — died January 30, 1993

1936 Olympic medalist and research chemist.

Jimmy LuValle won the bronze medal in the 400 meters at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at Caltech under Linus Pauling and researched color photography at Eastman Kodak, the first African American in its laboratories. He was the first president of UCLA’s Graduate Student Association, and UCLA’s Lu Valle Commons student center bears his name.

J. California Cooper

Full name: Joan Cooper

Born November 10, 1931 — died September 20, 2014

Playwright and American Book Award-winning author.

J. California Cooper wrote first for the stage and was named San Francisco’s Black Playwright of the Year in 1978. Alice Walker became her first publisher, and her collection ‘Homemade Love’ won the American Book Award in 1989. Her novels include ‘Family’ and ‘The Wake of the Wind.’

Albert Hall

Full name: Albert W. Hall

Born November 10, 1937

Actor in ‘Apocalypse Now’ and ‘Malcolm X’.

Albert Hall played Chief Phillips in ‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979) and Brother Baines in Spike Lee’s ‘Malcolm X’ (1992). He played Judge Seymore Walsh on ‘Ally McBeal’ and ‘The Practice.’ He trained at Columbia University.

Michael Schultz

Full name: Michael A. Schultz

Born November 10, 1938

Director of ‘Cooley High,’ ‘Car Wash’ and ‘Krush Groove’.

Michael Schultz directed ‘Cooley High’ (1975) and ‘Car Wash’ (1976), which won a prize at Cannes, and ‘Krush Groove’ (1985), among the first hip-hop films. He began in theater with the Negro Ensemble Company and later directed extensively in television. He was one of the first Black directors to helm major studio films in the 1970s.

Hubert Laws

Full name: Hubert Laws Jr.

Born November 10, 1939

Jazz and classical flutist and NEA Jazz Master.

Hubert Laws recorded acclaimed albums for CTI Records including ‘The Rite of Spring’ and ‘Afro-Classic,’ blending jazz and classical repertoire. He played in the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera orchestra and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2011. He is the second of eight children in Houston’s musical Laws family.

James Hood

Full name: James Alexander Hood

Born November 10, 1942 — died January 17, 2013

Integrated the University of Alabama during Wallace’s ‘Stand in the Schoolhouse Door’.

On June 11, 1963, James Hood and Vivian Malone enrolled at the University of Alabama after Governor George Wallace stood in the doorway to block them until federalized National Guard troops intervened. Hood left after two months but returned decades later to earn a doctorate from the university in 1997. He accepted Wallace’s apology and attended his funeral in 1998.

Alaina Reed Hall

Full name: Bernice Ruth Reed

Born November 10, 1946 — died December 17, 2009

‘Sesame Street’ and ‘227’ actress.

Alaina Reed Hall played Olivia Robinson, Gordon’s sister, on ‘Sesame Street’ from 1976 to 1988, and Rose Lee Holloway on the NBC sitcom ‘227.’ She performed on Broadway in ‘Hair’ and ‘Eubie!’ She died of breast cancer in 2009.

Sinbad

Full name: David Adkins

Born November 10, 1956

Comedian and ‘A Different World’ star.

Sinbad played Coach Walter Oakes on ‘A Different World’ and starred in ‘The Sinbad Show,’ ‘Houseguest’ and ‘Jingle All the Way.’ He became known through his HBO stand-up specials in the 1990s and earlier served in the Air Force. He had a stroke in 2020 and has been recovering.

Mike Powell

Full name: Michael Anthony Powell

Born November 10, 1963

Long jump world record holder since 1991.

Mike Powell jumped 8.95 meters at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, breaking Bob Beamon’s 23-year-old record in a duel with Carl Lewis; the mark still stands. He won world titles in 1991 and 1993 and Olympic silver medals in 1988 and 1992. He is in the USATF Hall of Fame.

Tommy Davidson

Full name: Tommy Davidson (born Anthony Reed)

Born November 10, 1963

Comedian, original ‘In Living Color’ cast member.

Tommy Davidson was an original cast member of ‘In Living Color’ and voices Oscar Proud on ‘The Proud Family.’ His films include ‘Bamboozled’ and ‘Booty Call.’ Abandoned as a baby in Mississippi, he was adopted by a white woman and raised largely in the Washington, D.C., area, a story he told in his memoir ‘Living in Color.’

Tracy Morgan

Full name: Tracy Jamal Morgan

Born November 10, 1968

Comedian, ‘SNL’ and ’30 Rock’ star.

Tracy Morgan was a cast member on ‘Saturday Night Live’ from 1996 to 2003 and earned an Emmy nomination as Tracy Jordan on ’30 Rock.’ After surviving a 2014 truck crash that killed his friend James McNair, he returned to host ‘SNL’ and starred in the TBS series ‘The Last O.G.’ He grew up in the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Warren G

Full name: Warren Griffin III

Born November 10, 1970

G-funk rapper and producer of ‘Regulate’.

Warren G co-founded 213 with Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, and his 1994 single ‘Regulate’ with Nate Dogg became a G-funk classic; his debut album went triple platinum. He is the stepbrother of Dr. Dre. He has produced for many West Coast artists.

Isaac Bruce

Full name: Isaac Isidore Bruce

Born November 10, 1972

Hall of Fame Rams wide receiver.

Isaac Bruce caught the winning 73-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XXXIV for the St. Louis Rams and was a key part of the ‘Greatest Show on Turf.’ He retired second in NFL history in receiving yards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020. He played college football at Memphis.

Eve

Full name: Eve Jihan Jeffers Cooper

Born November 10, 1978

Grammy-winning rapper and actress.

Eve’s 1999 debut ‘Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady’ topped the Billboard 200, and she won a Grammy for ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’ with Gwen Stefani. She starred in the sitcom ‘Eve’ and the ‘Barbershop’ films and co-hosted CBS’s ‘The Talk.’