Lew Payton (June 27, 1874 – May 27, 1945) was an African American film actor, stage performer, and writer known for several films and stage productions including Chocolate Dandies with Josephine Baker, Smash Your Baggage (1932), Jezebel (1938), On Such a Night (1937), and Lady for a Night (1942) featuring John Wayne and Joan Blondell.
With Noble Sissle, Payton co-wrote and performed in Chocolate Dandies, a 1924 film that launched the career of Josephine Baker.
Chocolate Dandies, The : "New Musical Comedy" by Noble Sissle and Lew Payton.
Produced at the Colonial Theatre in Boston, the film also featured Eubie Blake and Amanda Randolph.
"[4] As a member of "Black Hollywood," Payton wrote the book as an attempt to teach other African-Americans the art of screenwriting.