Oscar Polk
Oscar Polk (December 25, 1899 – January 4, 1949) was an American actor. He portrayed the enslaved man Pork in the film Gone with the Wind (1939).
Oscar Polk

Carl Van Vechten · Library of Congress Catalog: http: Image download: http: Original url · Public domain
- Name
- Oscar Polk
- Born
- 25 December 1899
- Birthplace
- Marianna, Arkansas, U.S.
- Died
- 4 January 1949
- Place of death
- New York City, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actor
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Oscar Polk (December 25, 1899 – January 4, 1949) was an American actor. He portrayed the enslaved man Pork in the film Gone with the Wind (1939).
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Oscar Polk was an actor, of American nationality. The actor was born in Marianna and died in New York City. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 30 September 2026
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Documentary evidence
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wikidata · Q3357030 · wikipedia · Oscar Polk
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Oscar Polk • Born — 25 December 1899 • Birthplace — Marianna, Arkansas, U.S. • Died — 4 January 1949 • Place of death — New York City, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1927–1946
Life and career
Life and career
His most memorable scene in that film comes when Pork discloses to Scarlett O'Hara, portrayed by Vivien Leigh, that the back property taxes “done run up sky high” on Tara in the amount of $300. He was married to Ivy V. Polk (née Ivy Parsons, born October 12, 1920), who had a deleted scene in Gone with the Wind. They had a son, Oscar Polk Jr. On January 4, 1949, Oscar Polk was fatally struck by a taxi cab as he stepped off a curb in Times Square in New York City 10 days after his 49th birthday. At the time of his death, he was scheduled to have a major role in the play Leading Lady, and he was replaced by Ossie Davis. He is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Long Island, New York.
Broadway
Broadway
• The Trial of Mary Dugan (1927) • Once in a Lifetime (1930) • Both Your Houses (1933) • The Green Pastures (1935) • You Can't Take It with You (1936) • Swingin' The Dream (1939), a swing music adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. • Sunny River (1942) • The Walking Gentleman (1942) • Dark Eyes (1943)
Other stage credits
Other stage credits
• Horses Are Like That (1943) • Bigger Than Barnum (1946) • The Magnificent Heel (1946)
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1935 — It's a Great Life — Lazy Bones • 1936 — The Green Pastures — Gabriel • 1937 — Underworld — Sam Brown • 1938 — Out of the Inkwell — Janitor — Uncredited • 1939 — Big Town Czar — Arthur, Harlem Numbers Man — Uncredited • 1939 — Gone with the Wind — Pork - House Servant • 1940 — The Notorious Elinor Lee — Blakely • 1941 — Birth of the Blues — Man in Jail — Uncredited • 1942 — Reap the Wild Wind — Salt Meat • 1942 — White Cargo — Umeela • 1943 — Cabin in the Sky — The Deacon / Fleetfoot

Rex Ingram (left) and Oscar Polk in The Green Pastures - publicity still (cropped)
unknown (Warner Bros./Photofest) · eBay (front back)
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Oscar Polk was born at Marianna.
Birthplace
Oscar Polk died at New York City.
Deathplace
Marianna.
Birth place
New York City.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Oscar Polk”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3357030: Oscar Polk
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.National Archives and Records Administration. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.
- 2.U.S. Census, April 1, 1930. State of New York, County of New York, enumeration district 1053, page 1-B.
- 3.Gone with the Wind screen tests (US 1937–39)
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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