Tosh Angelos was a Greek-American sailor and also the ex-husband of Maya Angelou. Tosh Angelos’s ex-wife, Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees.

Tosh Angelos: Bio Summary

Tosh Angelos was born on 3 Jan 1925 in the United States of America and died on 10 February 1978 in the United States of America. He was 53 years old at the time of his death. Tosh Angelos was a Greek-American sailor and he is also famous for being the ex-husband of the famous writer, poet, and human rights activist, Maya Angelou.

How did Tosh Angelos and Maya Angelou meet?

The couple has not publicly discussed the circumstances that led to their path crossing and hence their marriage. However, it is known that the former couple got married in 1951. They got married in a beautiful wedding ceremony in the presence of their friends, family, and loved ones.  Maya married Tosh a Greek electrician, former sailor, and aspiring musician, despite the condemnation of interracial relationships at the time and the disapproval of her mother.

During this time, Maya took modern dance classes and met dancers and choreographers Alvin Ailey and Ruth Beckford. Ailey and Angelou formed “Al and Rita,” a dance team, and performed modern dance at fraternal Black organizations throughout San Francisco, but they were never successful. Angelou, her new husband Tosh, and their son relocated to New York City so that Angelou could study African dance with Trinidadian dancer Pearl Primus, but they returned to San Francisco a year later.

Tosh Angelos was an atheist, and Angelou was very spiritual, so the marriage did not last long. Tosh’s atheist ideals grew to be unacceptable to the devoutly religious Maya, and the marriage soon soured. They called their marriage a quit in 1954. The marriage lasted for three years.

After their marriage collapsed three years later, Maya changed her name to Angelou as a play on Angelos’ last name following the advice of her drama coach.  Maya later married Paul du Feu in 1974 which also ended in a divorce and began her relationship with Vusumzi Make in 1961, but never formally married him.

Not much was heard from Tosh Angelos after their divorce, he went completely out of the limelight until his death on10 Feb 1978 in the United States of America. He was buried in Willamette National CemeteryPortland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA.

Tosh Angelos’s Ex-Wife Maya Angelou

Tosh Angelos’s ex-wife Maya Angelou was the First Black Female Streetcar Conductor in San Francisco. Asked why she wanted the job at 15, Dr. Angelou told Time, “The women wore beautiful uniforms, and they had this change belt–click, click, click, click. I went to apply. No one would even give me an application. My mother said, “Take one of your big Russian books and sit there. I did, for two weeks–I hated it. But I didn’t want to go home and tell my mother I wasn’t woman enough. Finally, a man asked me, “Why do you want this?” I said, “I like the uniforms. I like people.” I got the job.”

She Was the First Black Woman Admitted to Hollywood’s Directors Guild. Dr. Angelou joined in 1975, becoming the African-American member of the the Director’s Guild of America. She directed her first feature film, Down in the Delta, starring Alfre Woodard, in 1998.

Tosh Angelos’s Wife held Several Jobs Before Becoming an Author. Maya began her professional career as a dancer and singer. She was also a fry cook at a hamburger joint, a madam for prostitutes (she recounted this experience in Gather Together in My Name), a magazine editor for The Arab Observer (1962-63) and The Africa Review (1964-66), and a university administrator at the University of Ghana, where she met Malcolm X.

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