Willie Best
Sleep 'n' Eat · Sleep 'n Eat · Sleep n' Eat
- Туған күні:
- 1913-05-27
- Қайтыс болған күні:
- 1962-11-27
- Туған жері:
- Sunflower, Mississippi, USA
Өмірбаяны
William “Willie” Best (May 27, 1916 - February 27, 1962), sometimes known as “Sleep n' Eat,” was an American television and film actor. Best was one of the first African-American film actors and comedians to become well known. In the 21st century, his work, like that of Stepin Fetchit, is sometimes reviled because he was often called upon to play stereotypically lazy, illiterate, and/or simple-minded characters in films. Of the 124 films he appeared in, he received screen credit in at least 77, an unusual feat for an African-American bit player. Willie Best appeared in more than one hundred films of the 1930s and 1940s. Although several sources state that for years he was billed only as “Sleep n' Eat,” Best received credit under this moniker instead of his real name in only six movies: his first film as a bit player (Harold Lloyd's Feet First) and in Up Pops the Devil (1931), The Monster Walks (1932), Kentucky Kernels and West of the Pecos (both 1934), and Murder on a Honeymoon (1935). Best was first loved as a great clown, then later in the 20th century reviled and pitied, before being forgotten in the history of film. Hal Roach called him one of the greatest talents he had ever met. Comedian Bob Hope similarly acclaimed him as “the best actor I know,” while the two were working together in 1940 on The Ghost Breakers. As a supporting actor, Best, like many black actors of his era, was regularly cast in domestic worker or service-oriented roles (though a few times he played the role echoing his previous occupation as a private chauffeur). He was often seen making a brief comic turn as a hotel, airline or train porter, as well as an elevator operator, custodian, butler, valet, waiter, deliveryman, and at least once as a launch pilot (in the 1939 movie Mr. Moto in Danger Island). Willie Best received screen credit most of the time, which was unusual for “bit players,” most in the 1930s and '40s were not accorded due credit. This also happened to white actors in small roles, but black actors were not credited even when their roles were larger. In more than 80 of his movies, he was given a proper character name (as opposed to simple descriptions such as “room service waiter” or “shoe-shine boy”), beginning with his second film. Best played “Chattanooga Brown” in two Charlie Chan films —The Red Dragon in 1945 and Dangerous Money in 1946. He also played the character of “Hipp” in three of RKO’s six Scattergood Baines films with Guy Kibbee: Scattergood Baines (1941), Scattergood Survives a Murder (1942), and Cinderella Swings It in 1943. (Actor Paul White, who played a young version of Best’s “Hipp” in the first film, went on to play “Hipp” in the next three films. Best returned to the role in the last two.) After a drug arrest ended his film career, he worked in television for a while and became known to early TV audiences as “Charlie the Elevator Operator” on CBS's My Little Margie, from 1953 to 1955. He also played Willie, the house servant, handyman and close friend of the title character of ABC’s The Trouble with Father, for its entire run from 1950 to 1955.
Фильмографиясы
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
2001
Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Self (archive footage)
Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy
1962
TMDb 7.3 / 10
Charlie (archive footage)
Meet the O'Briens
1954
Willie
Ellis in Freedomland
1952
Male Model
South of Caliente
1951
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Willie, Stable Boy
The Shanghai Chest
1948
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Willie Best
Half Past Midnight
1948
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Andy Jones
The Red Stallion
1947
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Jackson
Suddenly It's Spring
1947
TMDb 4.2 / 10
Porter on Train
Опасные деньги
1946
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Chattanooga Brown
Невеста в сапогах
1946
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Joe
The Face of Marble
1946
TMDb 4.6 / 10
Shadrach
She Wouldn't Say Yes
1945
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Porter (uncredited)
Hold That Blonde!
1945
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Willie Shelley
Красный дракон
1945
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Chattanooga Brown
Pillow to Post
1945
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Lucille, Colonial Auto Court Porter
The Monster and the Ape
1945
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Flash
Музыка для миллионов
1944
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Red Cap (uncredited)
The Mark of the Whistler
1944
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)
The Girl Who Dared
1944
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Woodrow
The Adventures of Mark Twain
1944
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Butler
Home in Indiana
1944
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Mo' Rum (uncredited)
Благодари судьбу
1943
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Soldier in "Ice Cold Katie" Number (uncredited)
The Kansan
1943
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Bones
Dixie
1943
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Steward (uncredited)
Хижина на небесах
1943
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Second Idea Man
Cinderella Swings It
1943
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Hipp
The Powers Girl
1943
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)
The Hidden Hand
1942
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Eustis, the chauffeur
Scattergood Survives a Murder
1942
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Hipp
Busses Roar
1942
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Sunshine
Авось прорвёмся!
1942
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Waiter
Maisie Gets Her Man
1942
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Sam (Uncredited)
Juke Girl
1942
TMDb 7.2 / 10
Jo-Mo
Whispering Ghosts
1942
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Euclid White Brown
The Body Disappears
1941
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Willie
Breakdowns of 1941
1941
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Nothing but the Truth
1941
TMDb 7.3 / 10
Samuel
The Smiling Ghost
1941
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Clarence
Minstrel Days
1941
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Singer
Горнист играет буги-вуги
1941
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Hot-Breath Harry (voice) (uncredited)
Highway West
1941
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Bub Wellington
Kisses for Breakfast
1941
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Arnold
The Lady from Cheyenne
1941
TMDb 5.7 / 10
George
Scattergood Baines
1941
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Hipp
Road Show
1941
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Willie
Flight from Destiny
1941
TMDb 5.8 / 10
George
Высокая Сьерра
1941
TMDb 7.1 / 10
Algernon
Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
1940
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Andrew
Money and the Woman
1940
TMDb 4.4 / 10
George Washington Jones
Охотники за привидениями
1940
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Alex
Blondie on a Budget
1940
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Newsboy (uncredited)
I Take This Woman
1940
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Sambo
Slightly Honorable
1939
TMDb 5.1 / 10
Art, Elevator Operator
Private Detective
1939
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Norton's Valet
The Covered Trailer
1939
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Baltimore
Blondie Brings Up Baby
1939
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Hotel Janitor (uncredited)
В цирке
1939
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Redcap (uncredited)
Шантаж
1939
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Bunny - the Janitor (uncredited)
Way Down South
1939
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Chimney Sweep
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
1939
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Driver (uncredited)
Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter
1939
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Apollo Johnson
Mr. Moto in Danger Island
1939
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Launch Pilot
The Saint Strikes Back
1939
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Algernon, Simon's Butler (Uncredited)
Blondie
1938
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Porter
Spring Madness
1938
TMDb 4.9 / 10
Porter on Train
Straight, Place and Show
1938
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Hannibal
Youth Takes a Fling
1938
TMDb 5.5 / 10
George
I'm from the City
1938
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Train Porter
Оживленная леди
1938
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Porter
Goodbye Broadway
1938
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Jughead
Весело мы живем
1938
TMDb 7.0 / 10
George
Gold Is Where You Find It
1938
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Joshua
Everybody's Doing It
1938
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Jasper - Elevator Operator
Crashing Hollywood
1938
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Train Porter (uncredited)
Saturday's Heroes
1937
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Sam
The Lady Fights Back
1937
TMDb 7.0 / 10
McTavish
Mississippi Moods
1937
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Super-Sleuth
1937
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Warts, Martin's manservant
Meet the Missus
1937
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Bootblack
You Can't Buy Luck
1937
TMDb 4.7 / 10
Airline Porter (uncredited)
Breezing Home
1937
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Speed
Racing Lady
1937
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Brass
We Who Are About to Die
1937
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Airport Porter (uncredited)
Deep South
1937
TMDb 7.3 / 10
Night Waitress
1936
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Black Pedestrian
General Spanky
1936
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Henry
Спасибо, Дживс!
1936
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Drowsy
Mummy's Boys
1936
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Catfish
Down the Stretch
1936
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Noah
The Green Pastures
1936
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Henry - the Angel (uncredited)
Невеста уходит
1936
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Smokie
Murder on a Bridle Path
1936
TMDb 5.4 / 10
'High-Pockets'
Two in Revolt
1936
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Eph
Silly Billies
1936
TMDb 8.5 / 10
Excitement
Muss 'em Up
1936
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Janitor at Spivali's Bar (uncredited)
The Littlest Rebel
1935
TMDb 6.3 / 10
James Henry
To Beat the Band
1935
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Elevator Operator
Hot Tip
1935
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Apollo
Jalna
1935
TMDb 5.1 / 10
Sam
The Arizonian
1935
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Pompey
The Nitwits
1935
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Sleepy
Hit and Rum
1935
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Shoe Shine Man (uncredited)
Raised and Called
1935
Murder on a Honeymoon
1935
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Willie (as Sleep 'n' Eat)
Horse Heir
1935
West of the Pecos
1934
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Jonah (as Sleep 'n' Eat)
Kentucky Kernels
1934
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Buckshot (as Sleep 'n' Eat)
Little Miss Marker
1934
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Dizzy Memphis (uncredited)
The Monster Walks
1932
TMDb 4.2 / 10
Exodus (as Sleep n' Eat)
The Guilty Generation
1931
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Club Merlin Doorman (uncredited)
Up Pops the Devil
1931
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Laundryman
Virtuous Husband
1931
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Luftus
Ногами вперед
1930
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Janitor
Дамы для досуга
1930
TMDb 6.2 / 10
George (uncredited)