Co-founder with his brother George Johnson of the Lincoln Motion Picture Co., Johnson was one of the first successful African-American film producers.
He was born in Marshall, Missouri, but when very young his family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, birthplace of Lon Chaney. They attended the same school, became friends, and knew each other many years later when both were making movies in Hollywood.
Interred at Eternal Valley Memorial Park, Newhall, California, USA, in the Garden of Peace, A-270.