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Parents of Bill, Maria and Maxwell Robinson died and Bill was taken in by his grandmother, Bedilia, who had been a slave.
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In 1886, at the age of 9, he joined Mayme Remington's touring troupe.
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He got his first professional job in 1892, performing as a member of the pickaninny chorus for Mayme Remington with The South Before the War
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When Robinson arrived in New York in 1900, he challenged the In Old Kentucky star tap dancer Harry Swinton to a Buck-dancing contest and won.
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From 1902-1914, he teamed with George W. Cooper. Bound by the "two-colored" rule in vaudeville, which restricted blacks to performing in pairs, they performed together on the Keith and Orpheum circuits, but did not wear blackface makeup that performers customarily used.
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In 1908, Robinson met Marty Forkins, who became his manager. Forkins urged Robinson to develop his solo act in nightclubs. Robinson took a break from performance to serve as a rifleman in World War I. Along with fighting in the trenches, Robinson was also a drum major who led the regimental band up Fifth Avenue upon the regiment's return from Europe.
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Hailed as "The Dark Cloud of Joy" on the Orpheum Circuit, he performed in vaudeville from 1914-1927 without a single season's layoff.
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In 1915, Bill Robinson split with George and begin his solo career.
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In 1922, he married Fannie Clay who became his business manager, secretary, and partner in efforts to fight the barriers of racial prejudice.
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Broadway fame came with the all-black revue, Blackbirds of 1928, in which he sang and danced "Doin' the New Low Down." Success was instantaneous. He was hailed as the greatest of all dancers by at least seven New York newspapers.
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His first film, Dixiana (1930) had a predominantly white cast.
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A founding member of the Negro Actors Guild of America, Robinson was also named "Mayor of Harlem" in 1933.
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Harlem is Heaven (1933) was the first all-black film ever made.
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Other films include Hooray For Love (1935), In Old Kentucky (1935), The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935)
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Shirley Temple came his way and in 1935, costarred with and coached her in “The Little Rebel” which was a huge success. Robinson would continue to make over 17 Movies in all.
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When Robinson died in 1949, newspapers claimed that almost one hundred thousand people turned out to witness the passing of the funeral procession.
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He was inducted into the National Museum of Dance, New York in 1987.
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the US Congress named his birth date as National Tap Dancing Day.
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Bill Robinson was inducted into the tap dance hall of fame.
