Al Jolson (listed as Al Johnson)

Al Jolson, born Asa Yoelson, was a hugely popular American singer and entertainer, billed in his day as 'The World's Greatest Entertainer'. He starred in 'The Jazz Singer' (1927), the first feature-length film with synchronized recorded dialogue and song, which transformed cinema. He was the son of a Jewish cantor and immigrated from Lithuania as a child; the plot of 'The Jazz Singer' echoed his own cantor's-son background.