Louis Mahoney
(1938-2020)
One of the first black actors to perform, in 1967, at the RSC he was also a well-known face on television. As an activist for change he was chairman of Equity’s Afro-Asian Committee, working to persuade broadcasters and drama schools to address the barriers he described as “big hurdles to be jumped by anybody who was non-white”. He also founded Performers Against Racism in the 1980s to campaign against apartheid in South Africa and persuade performers not to tour and perform to segregated audiences. He was also one of the founders of Black Theatre Workshop in 1976. For a detailed Obituary see here.
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