Whipper was the son of African-American educator, author and activist
Frances Rollin Whipper and a nephew of abolitionist
William Whipper, attorney William J. Whipper. Educated at
Howard University Law School, he left in 1895 and never practiced as a lawyer. Without any dramatic training, Whipper made his acting debut in a Philadelphia
stock theater production of ''
Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1899. He made his first Broadway appearance in Georgia Minstrels. His first film role was in the 1920 silent film The Symbol of the Unconquered''. A portrait of Whipper entitled "Dans un Café à Paris (Leigh Whipper)" by artist
Loïs Mailou Jones, oil on canvas is currently on display at the
Brooklyn Museum. Quoted from the museum webpage: "The artist’s portrayal of a pensive Whipper answered Alain Locke’s call for black artists to create ennobling representations of African Americans." During the
Second World War, Whipper was a member of the steering committee of Negro Division the
Hollywood Victory Committee. Leigh's daughter,
Leighla Frances Whipper, was a Calypso songwriter and music publisher. == Partial filmography ==