Willie Best

Teen actor

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.

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IMDb

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

2004

as Self (archive footage)

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

1975

as Self (archive footage)

Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy

1962

as Charlie (archive footage)

Waterfront

1954

as Billy Slocum

My Little Margie

1952

Ellis in Freedomland

1952

as Male Model

South of Caliente

1951

as Willie, Stable Boy

Racket Squad

1951

The Stu Erwin Show

1950

as Willie

The Shanghai Chest

1948

as Willie Best

Half Past Midnight

1948

as Andy Jones

The Red Stallion

1947

as Jackson

Suddenly It's Spring

1947

as Porter on Train

Dangerous Money

1946

as Chattanooga Brown

The Bride Wore Boots

1946

as Joe

The Face of Marble

1946

as Shadrach

She Wouldn't Say Yes

1945

as Porter (uncredited)

Hold That Blonde!

1945

as Willie Shelley

The Red Dragon

1945

as Chattanooga Brown

Pillow to Post

1945

as Lucille, Colonial Auto Court Porter

The Monster and the Ape

1945

as Flash

Music for Millions

1944

as Red Cap (uncredited)

The Mark of the Whistler

1944

as Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)

The Girl Who Dared

1944

as Woodrow

The Adventures of Mark Twain

1944

as Butler

Home in Indiana

1944

as Mo' Rum (uncredited)

Thank Your Lucky Stars

1943

as Soldier in "Ice Cold Katie" Number (uncredited)

The Kansan

1943

as Bones

Dixie

1943

as Steward (uncredited)

Cabin in the Sky

1943

as Second Idea Man

Cinderella Swings It

1943

as Hipp

The Powers Girl

1943

as Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)

The Hidden Hand

1942

as Eustis, the chauffeur

Scattergood Survives a Murder

1942

as Hipp

Busses Roar

1942

as Sunshine

A-Haunting We Will Go

1942

as Waiter

Maisie Gets Her Man

1942

as Sam (Uncredited)

Juke Girl

1942

as Jo-Mo

Whispering Ghosts

1942

as Euclid White Brown

The Body Disappears

1941

as Willie

Breakdowns of 1941

1941

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Nothing But the Truth

1941

as Samuel

The Smiling Ghost

1941

as Clarence

Minstrel Days

1941

as Singer

Highway West

1941

as Bub Wellington

Kisses for Breakfast

1941

as Arnold

The Lady from Cheyenne

1941

as George

Scattergood Baines

1941

as Hipp

Road Show

1941

as Willie

Flight from Destiny

1941

as George

High Sierra

1941

as Algernon

Who Killed Aunt Maggie?

1940

as Andrew

Money and the Woman

1940

as George Washington Jones

The Ghost Breakers

1940

as Alex

Blondie on a Budget

1940

as Newsboy (uncredited)

I Take This Woman

1940

as Sambo

Slightly Honorable

1939

as Art, Elevator Operator

Private Detective

1939

as Norton's Valet

The Covered Trailer

1939

as Baltimore

Blondie Brings Up Baby

1939

as Hotel Janitor (uncredited)

At the Circus

1939

as Redcap (uncredited)

Blackmail

1939

as Bunny - the Janitor (uncredited)

Way Down South

1939

as Chimney Sweep

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation

1939

as Driver (uncredited)

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter

1939

as Apollo Johnson

Mr. Moto in Danger Island

1939

as Launch Pilot

The Saint Strikes Back

1939

as Algernon, Simon's Butler (Uncredited)

Blondie

1938

as Porter

Spring Madness

1938

as Porter on Train

Straight, Place and Show

1938

as Hannibal

Youth Takes a Fling

1938

as George

I'm from the City

1938

as Train Porter

Vivacious Lady

1938

as Porter

Goodbye Broadway

1938

as Jughead

Merrily We Live

1938

as George

Gold Is Where You Find It

1938

as Joshua

Everybody's Doing It

1938

as Jasper - Elevator Operator

Crashing Hollywood

1938

as Train Porter (uncredited)

Saturday's Heroes

1937

as Sam

The Lady Fights Back

1937

as McTavish

Mississippi Moods

1937

Super-Sleuth

1937

as Warts, Martin's manservant

Meet the Missus

1937

as Bootblack

You Can't Buy Luck

1937

as Airline Porter (uncredited)

Breezing Home

1937

as Speed

Racing Lady

1937

as Brass

We Who Are About to Die

1937

as Airport Porter (uncredited)

Deep South

1937

Night Waitress

1936

as Black Pedestrian

General Spanky

1936

as Henry

Thank You, Jeeves!

1936

as Drowsy

Mummy's Boys

1936

as Catfish

Down the Stretch

1936

as Noah

The Green Pastures

1936

as Henry - the Angel (uncredited)

The Bride Walks Out

1936

as Smokie

Murder on a Bridle Path

1936

as 'High-Pockets'

Two in Revolt

1936

as Eph

Silly Billies

1936

as Excitement

Muss 'em Up

1936

as Janitor at Spivali's Bar (uncredited)

The Littlest Rebel

1935

as James Henry

To Beat the Band

1935

as Elevator Operator

Hot Tip

1935

as Apollo

Jalna

1935

as Sam

The Arizonian

1935

as Pompey

The Nitwits

1935

as Sleepy

Hit and Rum

1935

as Shoe Shine Man (uncredited)

Raised and Called

1935

Murder on a Honeymoon

1935

as Willie (as Sleep 'n' Eat)

Horse Heir

1935

West of the Pecos

1934

as Jonah (as Sleep 'n' Eat)

Kentucky Kernels

1934

as Buckshot (as Sleep 'n' Eat)

Little Miss Marker

1934

as Dizzy Memphis (uncredited)

The Monster Walks

1932

as Exodus

The Guilty Generation

1931

as Club Merlin Doorman (uncredited)

Up Pops the Devil

1931

as Laundryman

Virtuous Husband

1931

as Luftus

Feet First

1930

as Janitor

Ladies of Leisure

1930

as George (uncredited)

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Willie Best

Acted in

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy

Waterfront

My Little Margie

Ellis in Freedomland

South of Caliente

Racket Squad

The Stu Erwin Show

The Shanghai Chest

Half Past Midnight

The Red Stallion

Suddenly It's Spring

Dangerous Money

The Bride Wore Boots

The Face of Marble

She Wouldn't Say Yes

Hold That Blonde!

The Red Dragon

Pillow to Post

The Monster and the Ape

Music for Millions

The Mark of the Whistler

The Girl Who Dared

The Adventures of Mark Twain

Home in Indiana

Thank Your Lucky Stars

The Kansan

Dixie

Cabin in the Sky

Cinderella Swings It

The Powers Girl

The Hidden Hand

Scattergood Survives a Murder

Busses Roar

A-Haunting We Will Go

Maisie Gets Her Man

Juke Girl

Whispering Ghosts

The Body Disappears

Breakdowns of 1941

Nothing But the Truth

The Smiling Ghost

Minstrel Days

Highway West

Kisses for Breakfast

The Lady from Cheyenne

Scattergood Baines

Road Show

Flight from Destiny

High Sierra

Who Killed Aunt Maggie?

Money and the Woman

The Ghost Breakers

Blondie on a Budget

I Take This Woman

Slightly Honorable

Private Detective

The Covered Trailer

Blondie Brings Up Baby

At the Circus

Blackmail

Way Down South

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter

Mr. Moto in Danger Island

The Saint Strikes Back

Blondie

Spring Madness

Straight, Place and Show

Youth Takes a Fling

I'm from the City

Vivacious Lady

Goodbye Broadway

Merrily We Live

Gold Is Where You Find It

Everybody's Doing It

Crashing Hollywood