Chenault joined acting troupes, the first being [[Al G. Field]]’s Negro Minstrels in 1895.<ref name=”:1″ /> One of the more famous groups he took part in were the [[Lafayette Players]], becoming one of their leading men.<ref name=”:0″ />
Chenault joined acting troupes, the first being [[Al G. Field]]’s Negro Minstrels in 1895.<ref name=”:1″ /> One of the more famous groups he took part in were the [[Lafayette Players]], becoming one of their leading men.<ref name=”:0″ />
Chenault acted in several films from 1920 to 1934. His debut was in Oscar Micheaux’s ”[[The Brute (film)|The Brute]]” in 1920, with other standouts from his career being the all-Black western ”[[The Crimson Skull]]”<ref>International Center of Photography. “The Crimson Skull.” International Center of Photography. https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/the-crimson-skull-0 .</ref> and ”[[Body and Soul (film)|Body and Soul]]”.<ref name=”:0″ />
Chenault acted in several films from 1920 to 1934. His debut was in Oscar Micheaux’s ”[[The Brute (film)|The Brute]]” in 1920, with other standouts from his career being the all-Black western ”[[The Crimson Skull]]”<ref>International Center of Photography. “The Crimson Skull.” International Center of Photography. https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/the-crimson-skull-0 .</ref> and ”[[Body and Soul (film)|Body and Soul]]”.<ref name=”:0″ />
Chenault was heavily associated with the race film movement, both from his recurring roles in Micheaux’s films<ref>Lupack, Barbara. Early Race Filmmaking in America, Routledge, 2016</ref> as well as the close association between the Lafayette Players and Reol Productions, another well-known studio for creating films aimed for African-American audiences.<ref>Petersen, Christina. “The ‘Reol’ Story: Race Authorship and Consciousness in Robert Levy’s Reol Productions, 1921-1926.” Film History 20.3 (2008): 308-24.</ref> His role in Micheaux’s ”Body and Soul” reflects the director’s choice of casting Black actors as both heroes and villains in his films.<ref>Bowser, Pearl, and Louise Spence. “Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul and the Burden of Representation.” Cinema Journal, vol. 39, no. 3, 2000, pp. 3-29. {{ProQuest|222326238}}.</ref> Chenault’s acting style on camera was noted to be much more impacted by his time with the Lafayette Players than his earlier career in minstrel shows.<ref name=”:2″>Petro, Patrice, et al. “African American Stardom Inside and Outside of Hollywood; Ernest Morrison, Noble Johnson, Evelyn Preer, and Lincon Perry.” Idols of Modernity: Movie Stars of the 1920s. Rutgers University Press, 2010, pp. 227-249</ref>
Chenault was heavily associated with the race film movement, both from his recurring roles in Micheaux’s films<ref>Lupack, Barbara. Early Race Filmmaking in America, Routledge, 2016</ref> as well as the close association between the Lafayette Players and Reol Productions, another well-known studio for creating films aimed for African-American audiences.<ref>Petersen, Christina. “The ‘Reol’ Story: Race Authorship and Consciousness in Robert Levy’s Reol Productions, 1921-1926.” Film History 20.3 (2008): 308-24.</ref> His role in Micheaux’s ”Body and Soul” reflects the director’s choice of casting Black actors as both heroes and villains in his films.<ref>Bowser, Pearl, and Louise Spence. “Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul and the Burden of Representation.” Cinema Journal, vol. 39, no. 3, 2000, pp. 3-29. {{ProQuest|222326238}}.</ref> Chenault’s acting style on camera was noted to be much more impacted by his time with the Lafayette Players than his earlier career in minstrel shows.<ref name=”:2″>Petro, Patrice, et al. “African American Stardom Inside and Outside of Hollywood; Ernest Morrison, Noble Johnson, Evelyn Preer, and Lincon Perry.” Idols of Modernity: Movie Stars of the 1920s. Rutgers University Press, 2010, pp. 227-249</ref>
