* 1932 – Melvin Van Peebles, American actor and screenwriter

According to Melvin Van Peebles, the original production was of a white detective story, but following the success of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, the original script was scrapped in favor of an adaptation of Ernest Tidyman's 1970 novel Shaft, which focused on a black detective.

Journalist Dale Van Atta has written a biography of Laird entitled, " With Honor: Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics ," published by the University of Wisconsin Press, 2008.

* Van Atta, Dale, " With Honor: Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics ," The University of Wisconsin Press, 2008.

By the time production wrapped, Cinemation had released Melvin Van Peebles ' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song to considerable success, despite the X rating it had received.

In 1971, the group also recorded the soundtrack of the Melvin Van Peebles film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

Released at the Sundance Film Festival, the film was based on Melvin Van Peebles ' struggle to film and distribute the movie Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song and was directed by his son Mario Van Peebles.

* Melvin Van Peebles – The True American, A Folk Fable

* Melvin Van Peebles – Just an Old Sweet Song

* Classified X-a 1998 documentary film by Mark Daniels and Melvin Van Peebles about the history of blacks in cinema.

** Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death – Book, music, and lyrics by Melvin Van Peebles.

That same year he appeared Off-Broadway in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and on Broadway in the Melvin Van Peebles musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death.

In 2008, Van Peebles completed the film Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha, and appeared on All My Children as Melvin Woods, the father of Samuel Woods, a character portrayed by his son, Mario.

In 2011, Van Peebles started doing shows in NYC with members of Burnt Sugar, under the name Melvin Van Peebles wid Laxative.

In November, 2011, Melvin Van Peebles wid Laxative performed his song " Love, that's America " at Zebulon Cafe Concert, two weeks after the venue showed the original video for this song involving Occupy Wall Street footage, which was uploaded to Youtube in October 2011.

* ( As " Melvin Van ".

Spoken word artists such as The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron and Melvin Van Peebles are also cited as the major innovators in early hip-hop.

Rolle's most prominent early role was as Miss Maybell in the 1973 Melvin Van Peebles play, Don't Play Us Cheap.

Farmer was born in Seattle, to Ernest Melvin Farmer and Cora Lillian ( Van Ornum ) Farmer.

During its six season run, many familiar actors guest-starred on the show, along with other lesser-known performers who later achieved stardom, among them: John Charles Daly, Elaine Joyce, Gary Dubin, Herbert Anderson, June Foray, Robert Cummings, Sam Edwards, Jerry Van Dyke, J. Pat O ' Malley, Johnny Whitaker, Jesse White, Al Lewis, Gordon Jump, Bernie Kopell, Len Lesser, Bob Hastings, Don Keefer, Don Porter, Alan Hale Jr., Melody Patterson, Rusty Hamer, Regis Toomey, Heather North, Allan Melvin, Parley Baer, Jack Bannon, Rick Lenz, Karen Valentine among many others.

The first example of this subgenre was Melvin Van Peebles ' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song and others are Black Caesar, Black Devil Doll, Blacula, Black Shampoo, Boss Nigger, Coffy, Coonskin, Cotton Comes to Harlem, Dolemite, Foxy Brown, Hell Up in Harlem, The Mack, Mandingo, Shaft, The Spook Who Sat by the Door, Sugar Hill, Super Fly, The Thing With Two Heads and Truck Turner.

* Melvin Van Peebles

He is the son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.

Van Peebles was born Mario Cain Van Peebles in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of writer, director and actor Melvin Van Peebles and German actress and photographer Maria Marx.

Melvin Van Peebles, the father of director Mario Van Peebles, recorded a new song, " Cruel Jim Crow ", for the film, his first music recording in 20 years, after his 1974 album What the .... You Mean I Can't Sing ?!.

Leon Max Lederman ( born July 15, 1922 ) is an American physicist who, along with Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger, received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1988 for their joint research on neutrinos.

Melvin Kenneth " Mel " Smith ( born 3 December 1952 ) is an English comedian, writer, film director, producer and actor.

Gardner was born in the big farming community of Smithfield, Johnston County, North Carolina, the youngest of seven children ( she had two brothers, Raymond and Melvin, and four sisters, Beatrice, Elsie Mae, Inez, and Myra ).

Melvin Lawrence DeFleur ( born April 27, 1923 in Portland, Oregon ) is a professor and scholar in the field of communications.

Melvin Robert " Bom " Laird ( born September 1, 1922 ) is an American politician and writer.

* Melvin O. Adams, lawyer for Lizzie Borden, was born in Ashburnham.

* Melvin Mora ( born 1972 ), Venezuelan professional baseball player

* Grandmaster Melle Mel, Melvin Glover ( born 1961 ), hip-hop musician

Melvin Douglas " Mel " Lastman ( born March 9, 1933 ), nicknamed " Mayor Mel ", is a former businessman and politician.

Francis Melvin Rogallo ( January 27, 1912 – September 1, 2009 ) was an American aeronautical engineer inventor born in Sanger, California, U. S. A .; he is credited with the invention of the Rogallo wing, or " flexible wing ", a precursor to the modern hang glider and paraglider.

Roberts was born in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, the fifth and youngest child of the Reverend Ellis Melvin Roberts and Claudius Priscilla Roberts ( née Irwin ) ( d. 1974 ).

* Melvin Bernhardt ( born 1941 ), American stage and television director

Taymor was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the daughter of Elizabeth ( née Bernstein ), a political science teacher, and Melvin Lester Taymor, a gynecologist.

Lee was born in Elyria, Ohio, the son of Elvira ( née Taft ), a teacher, and C. Melvin Lee, an engineer.

Melvin Howard Tormé was born in Chicago, Illinois, to immigrant Russian Jewish parents, whose surname had been Torma.

Melvin Parker ( born June 7, 1944, Kinston, North Carolina ) is a drummer.

Boswell was born in Harrison County, Missouri, the son of Margaret and Melvin Boswell.

Allen was born Melvin Allen Israel in Birmingham, Alabama.

The group formerly known as The Charlemagnes took on the name " The Blue Notes " in 1954, with a lineup consisting of lead singer Harold Melvin ( born June 25, 1939, in Philadelphia, died March 24, 1997 ), Bernard Williams, Roosevelt Brodie, Jesse Gillis, Jr., and Franklin Peaker.

Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary Wharton ( née Johns ) and Melvin Randolph Coleman.

Melvin Emery " Mel " Patton ( born November 16, 1924 ) is an American track and field athlete, who won two gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Valentine Esegragbo Melvin Strasser was born on April 26, 1967 in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, to parents from the Creole ethnic group.

Mel Powell ( born Melvin Epstein ) ( February 12, 1923 – April 24, 1998 ) was an American jazz pianist, composer of classical music, and music educator.