One of Hollywood's first African American movie stars, James Edwards catapulted to stardom following his breakout role in 1949's Home of the Brave. In his superlative performance as a U.S. soldier experiencing racial prejudice during combat in the South Pacific, Edwards proved that African American actors could do far more than play the bumbling sidekick, the jovial song-and-dance man, or the illiterate plantation hand. Edwards went on to roles in Stanley Kubrick's breakthrough indie The Killing, John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate, and his final appearance in Franklin J....