title: Joe Jenkins (dancer)
text: # Joe Jenkins (dancer)
  
  Joe Jenkins was an American dancer who moved to Australia and appeared in a number of TV plays. He was a rare black actor who played lead roles in Australian film industry at the time. He was the first black actor to play a lead role in an Australian TV drama.
  
  Jenkins came to Australia with the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and decided to stay. He made his acting debut in The Square Ring.
  
  ## Select filmography
  
  * Rita (1959) - TV opera
  * Make Outs Music (1959) - variety
  * Cafe Continental
  * The BP Super Show (1959) - variety show, guest star
  * The Square Ring (1960)
  * The Emperor Jones (1960)
  * The Two Headed Eagle (1960)
  * The End Begins (1961)
  * Call Me a Liar (1961)
  * Just Barbara (1961) and Chez Barbara - variety show starring Barbara Virgil - Jenkins was a regular performer
  