Mattie Wilkes_

Mattie Vera Wilkes (February 14, 1875 – July 6, 1927) was an African American theater and film actress who appeared in vaudeville shows and films from the 1890s through the 1920s. Beginning as the prima donna for the Williams & Walker Company (Bert Williams and George Walker) in the 1890s, she starred in multiple vaudeville performances as a soprano singer. She would go on to perform in multiple shows alongside Ernest Hogan, whom she would later marry. They would have a falling out, however, within a year and would remain estranged until his death in 1909. During and after, Wilkes would feature in multiple theater shows, including tours across Europe and Russia, even up until her death in 1927.