Background
He was born in New York, New York and died in Santa Monica, California.
He was born in New York, New York and died in Santa Monica, California.
He appeared in over 170 films between 1909 and 1934. Consistent with the practice at the time, Cogley appeared in blackface in some of his roles. Foreign example, in the Civil War film The Coward (1915) he played "A Negro Servant," and in Toby"s Bow (1919) he portrayed the black servant "Uncle Toby" that gives the film its name.
The use of blackface was not unusual in American silent films, and did not disappear until the 1930s when public sensibilities regarding race began to change and blackface became increasingly associated with racism and bigotry.