Tess Gardella
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Tess Gardella (born Therese Gardella, December, 1894, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania - January 3, 1950) was a white Italian-American who is best known for her stage persona of "Aunt Jemima". She performed on both stage and screen and always in blackface. In 1927, she originated the role of Queenie in the classic stage musical Show Boat. She was the only member of the original Broadway cast to appear in blackface; the show featured an African-American chorus, and Jules Bledsoe, who originated the role of Joe in the same production and sang Ol' Man River, was also an African-American.
