WB
Willie Best
Actor
Born May 27, 1913Died November 27, 1962 (49 years)
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.
Filmography
| 2016 | I Am Not Your Negro · as Exodus (clip From The Monster Walks (1932)) |
| 1993 | Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America · as Willie |
| 1962 | World of Comedy · as Charlie (archive Footage) |
| 1954 | Waterfront (TV Series) · as Billy Slocum |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1952 | My Little Margie (TV Series) · as Charlie |
| 1951 | South of Caliente · as Willie, Stable Boy |
| 1951 | Mark Saber (TV Series) · as Corpus |
| 1950 | Racket Squad (TV Series) |
| 1950 | The Trouble with Father (TV Series) · as Willie |
| 1948 | Smart Woman · as Train Porter |
| 1947 | The Red Stallion · as Jackson |
| 1947 | Suddenly It's Spring · as Porter On Train |
| 1946 | Dangerous Money · as Chattanooga Brown |
| 1946 | No Leave, No Love · as Piano Delivery Man |
| 1946 | The Bride Wore Boots · as Joe |
| 1946 | The Face of Marble · as Shadrach |
| 1945 | She Wouldn't Say Yes · as Porter |
| 1945 | Hold That Blonde! · as Willie Shelley |
| 1945 | The Red Dragon · as Chattanooga Brown |
| 1945 | Pillow to Post · as Lucille, Colonial Auto Court Porter |
| 1945 | The Monster and the Ape · as Flash |
| 1944 | Music for Millions · as Red Cap (uncredited) |
| 1944 | The Mark of the Whistler · as Men's Room Attendant (uncredited) |
| 1944 | The Girl Who Dared · as Woodrow |
| 1944 | The Adventures of Mark Twain · as Butler |
| 1944 | Home in Indiana · as Mo' Rum (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Thank Your Lucky Stars · as Soldier In "ice Cold Katie" Number (uncredited) |
| 1943 | The Kansan · as Bones |
| 1943 | Dixie · as Stewart |
| 1943 | Cabin in the Sky · as Second Idea Man |
| 1943 | The Powers Girl · as Men's Room Attendant (uncredited) |
| 1942 | The Hidden Hand · as Eustis, The Chauffeur |
| 1942 | Scattergood Survives a Murder · as Hipp |
| 1942 | Busses Roar · as Sunshine |
| 1942 | A-Haunting We Will Go · as Waiter |
| 1942 | Maisie Gets Her Man · as Sam (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Juke Girl · as Jo-Mo |
| 1942 | Whispering Ghosts · as Euclid White Brown |
| 1941 | The Body Disappears · as Willie |
| 1941 | Nothing But the Truth · as Samuel |
| 1941 | The Smiling Ghost · as Clarence |
| 1941 | Minstrel Days · as Singer |
| 1941 | Highway West · as Bub Wellington |
| 1941 | Kisses for Breakfast · as Arnold |
| 1941 | |
| 1941 | The Lady from Cheyenne · as George |
| 1941 | Scattergood Baines · as Hipp |
| 1941 | Flight from Destiny · as George |
| 1941 | High Sierra · as Algernon |
| 1940 | Who Killed Aunt Maggie? · as Andrew |
| 1940 | Money and the Woman · as George Washington Jones |
| 1940 | The Ghost Breakers · as Alex |
| 1940 | Blondie on a Budget · as Newsboy (uncredited) |
| 1940 | I Take This Woman · as Sambo |
| 1939 | Slightly Honorable · as Art, Elevator Operator |
| 1939 | Miracle on Main Street · as Duke |
| 1939 | Private Detective · as Norton's Valet |
| 1939 | Blondie Brings Up Baby · as Hotel Janitor (uncredited) |
| 1939 | At the Circus · as Redcap (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Blackmail · as Bunny - The Janitor (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Way Down South · as Chimney Sweep |
| 1939 | Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation · as Driver (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter · as Apollo Johnson |
| 1939 | Mr. Moto in Danger Island · as Launch Pilot |
| 1939 | The Saint Strikes Back · as Algernon, Simon's Butler (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Blondie · as Porter |
| 1938 | Spring Madness · as Porter On Train |
| 1938 | Straight Place and Show · as Hannibal |
| 1938 | Youth Takes a Fling · as George |
| 1938 | Vivacious Lady · as Porter |
| 1938 | I'm from the City · as Train Porter |
| 1938 | Merrily We Live · as George |
| 1938 | Gold Is Where You Find It · as Joshua |
| 1938 | Everybody's Doing It · as Jasper - Elevator Operator |
| 1938 | Crashing Hollywood · as Train Porter (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Saturday's Heroes · as Sam |
| 1937 | Super-Sleuth · as Warts, Martin's Manservant |
| 1937 | Meet the Missus · as Bootblack |
| 1937 | You Can't Buy Luck · as Airline Porter (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Racing Lady · as Brass |
| 1937 | Criminal Lawyer · as Janitor |
| 1936 | We Who Are About to Die · as Airport Porter (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Night Waitress · as Black Pedestrian |
| 1936 | General Spanky · as Henry |
| 1936 | Make Way for a Lady · as William Townley - Jackson's Chauffeur |
| 1936 | Thank You, Jeeves! · as Drowsy |
| 1936 | Mummy's Boys · as Catfish |
| 1936 | Down the Stretch · as Noah |
| 1936 | The Green Pastures · as Henry - The Angel (uncredited) |
| 1936 | The Bride Walks Out · as Smokie |
| 1936 | Murder on a Bridle Path · as 'high-Pockets' |
| 1936 | Two in Revolt · as Eph |
| 1936 | Silly Billies · as Excitement |
| 1936 | Muss 'em Up · as Janitor At Spivali's Bar (uncredited) |
| 1936 | The Lady Consents · as Sam - Jim's Servant |
| 1935 | The Littlest Rebel · as James Henry |
| 1935 | To Beat the Band · as Elevator Operator |
| 1935 | Annie Oakley · as Second Cook |
| 1935 | Hot Tip · as Apollo |
| 1935 | Jalna · as Sam |
| 1935 | The Arizonian · as Pompey |
| 1935 | The Nitwits · as Sleepy |
| 1935 | Murder on a Honeymoon · as Willie (as Sleep 'n' Eat) |
| 1934 | Kentucky Kernels · as Buckshot (as Sleep 'n' Eat) |
| 1934 | Little Miss Marker · as Dizzy Memphis (uncredited) |
| 1932 | The Monster Walks · as Exodus |
| 1931 | The Guilty Generation · as Club Merlin Doorman (uncredited) |
| 1931 | Up Pops the Devil · as Laundryman |
| 1930 | Feet First · as Janitor |
| 1930 | Ladies of Leisure · as George (uncredited) |