- Born
- Died
- Birth nameDavid Roy Eldridge
- Nicknames
- Little Jazz
- Speedy Gonzales
- Height5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
- Roy Eldridge was born on January 30, 1911 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and manager, known for Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Raging Bull (1980) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). He was married to Viola Lee Fong. He died on February 26, 1989 in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York, USA.
- SpouseViola Lee Fong(January 24, 1936 - February 26, 1989) (his death, 1 child)
- Outstanding swing-era trumpeter, a great stylist, who first gained international recognition with Gene Krupa and His Orchestra (the only African-American member of the band, often exposing him to racist attacks), featuring on many classic solos, including "Rockin' Chair", "After You've Gone" and "Let Me Off Uptown" (with Anita O'Day). Fronted the band after Krupa was jailed in 1943 (even, on occasion, playing the drums), later leading several big bands under his own name in Chicago (Three Deuces Club) and New York (Savoy Ballroom, Famous Door, Arcadia Ballroom, etc).
- Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1985.
- Jazz trumpeter.
- Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 184-185. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
- Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 272-274. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.
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