Gertrude Jeannette

Biography

Gertrude Hadley Jeannette was a trailblazing American actress and playwright born on November 28, 1914, in Urbana, Arkansas. She became the first woman to work as a licensed taxi driver in New York City in 1942, defying convention. Despite being blacklisted during the Red Scare, she continued to produce and perform, including starring roles in films like Cotton Comes to Harlem and Black Girl, and founding the H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players in Harlem.