Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, Yiddish: אַסאַ יואלסאָן; c. May 26, 1886 (O.S.) June 9, 1886 (N.S.) – October 23, 1950) was an American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer", Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1910s and 1920s. He was known for his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach" towards performing, along with popularizing many of the songs he sang. According to music historian Larry Stempel, "No one... [more on Wikipedia]