Vincentian to play Joe Louis in David Sherman’s ‘An American Romance’

In Montreal, Vincentian-born Ardon Bess is to play the elder version of Joe Louis in David Sherman’s ‘An American Romance’.{{more}}

Bess, a very fit 70 year old, has just finished performing in Winnipeg in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’.

Ardon was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and educated at the Grammar School, where he was noted for his academic ability, as well as his prowess on the football pitch. After leaving school he worked at the then Barclays Bank before emigrating to Canada.

He was the first black actor to graduate from the National Theatre School of Canada and the first to hold a regular role in a Canadian TV series. He did so in the face of a lot of prejudice, when many thought, with his West Indian accent, he would never succeed.

Bess says that he knew about Joe Louis since his Vincentian days, as he used to attend the cinema and see newsreels about him. This we can readily believe, as Bess’ SVG home was near to the Lyric cinema and his favourite uncle , Randolph Hinds, who no doubt financed the visits to the cinema, worked at the prison directly opposite.