Modern dance pioneer Ruth St. Denis, nee Ruth Dennis, was born on January 20, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey. Her training began as a child with the practice of physical exercises developed by Francois Delsarte. As a teenager, she appeared in Broadway musicals and was a protégé of David Belasco, a theatrical producer. She combined spirituality, eastern culture, and religion in her dance routines. Christian themes were also explored and depicted in her works.

Henry B. Walthall was a silent film actor active between the 1910s and 1930s, known for playing Colonel Ben Cameron in Birth of a Nation. Born on March 16, 1878 in Shelby County, Alabama, Walthall first performed on Broadway stages before transitioning into film, where he performed first in short films, then in theatrical films including the Marshall Neilan-directed and produced Everbody's Acting (1926), a film later acquired by Howard Hughes.