James Baskett

James Baskett's story sits at a painful crossroads of film history. He gave us Uncle Remus and "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in Song of the South, earning an Honorary Academy Award in 1948, yet he died that same year at just forty-four, and the film itself has become something Disney would rather bury. I can't separate the warmth he clearly brought to the screen from the segregation-era limits placed around him, including not being able to attend his own film's Atlanta premiere. To me he's a reminder that talent and dignity often outran the systems that hired them. His Oscar feels both a tribute and an apology.

James Franklin Baskett (February 16, 1904 – July 9, 1948) was an American actor who portrayed Uncle Remus in the 1946 Disney feature film Song of the South. His performance included singing the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". In recognition of his portrayal of Remus, he was given an Honorary Academy Award in 1948.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

James Baskett

Name (Japanese)

ジェームズ・バスケット

Reading

じぇーむず・ばすけっと

Born

February 16, 1904 – July 9, 1948

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aquarius / Dragon

Origin

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Blood type

Private

Height

Private

Agency

Private

Occupation

stage actor / film actor / actor / musician

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Private

University

Private

Awards & achievements

• Academy Honorary Award

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A7%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%82%BA%E3%83%BB%E3%83%90%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B1%E3%83%83%E3%83%88

Tags

• Indiana
• stage actor
• film actor
• actor

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.