He is perhaps best known for his 1916 boxing match against Jack Dempsey, and his 1933 performance as Bumbo, the titular character in the Our Gang comedy short The Kid From Borneo.

During World War I Johnson served in the 367th Infantry,[1] a Buffalo Soldier outfit of the United States Army.

"[4] Johnson also had fights against the notable boxers Joe Jeanette, Harry Wills, Kid Norfolk, and Bill Tate.

at the sight of candy, Bumbo is mistaken by some of the Our Gang children as both a cannibal and their Uncle George, the latter earlier described by their mother as "the black sheep of the family."

In a 1960 article published in Ebony, Johnson disclosed that following his acting career he worked as a special officer at Cheli Air Force Station, and that he suffered a series of disabling strokes in the late 1950s, resulting in partial paralysis.