Trailblazers in Black History: Calvin Brown

Calvin Brown is the first African American stuntman recognized in Hollywood. He is also one of the original founders of the Black Stuntmen’s Association and the Sober Living House.

Brown was born in Farmersville, LA, on April 23, 1936 to Sylvester Brown and Ida Mae Washington Brown, who married at the age of 18 and16 respectively. Brown and his twin brother Galvin are the second born to a family with eight children; five boys and three girls. At the age of two years old his family moved to Grambling, LA. Brown states that he was “community raised”, meaning that everyone in the community was responsible for raising the children, he continues, “you could do no wrong, somebody was going to get you”. 

This was also the community where he, at the age of nine, started working for the United States Postal Service as a 2nd Class Special Delivery Mail Messenger. He earned nine cents per letter and earned up to thirty or forty dollars per month. Brown says, that was a lot of money during that time for someone his age.

Calvin continued to work as a 2nd Class Special Delivery messenger as he completed his undergraduate work at Grambling State University where his salary increased to $1.92 per letter. He played numerous sports and was a member of the marching band in the horn section. He graduated from Grambling in 1957. After graduation he moved to California, worked for the US Postal Service there and became and extra in Hollywood movies. 

Additional information is available here. 

Source: The National Visionary Leadership Project