Willie Best
Born
May 27, 1913
Died
November 27, 1962 (49 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Sunflower, Mississippi, USA
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.
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
Self (archive footage)
2004
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
1975
Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy
Charlie (archive footage)
1962
Waterfront
Billy Slocum · (81 episodes)
1954
My Little Margie
(1 episode)
1952
Ellis in Freedomland
Male Model
1952
South of Caliente
Willie, Stable Boy
1951
Racket Squad
(1 episode)
1951
The Stu Erwin Show
Willie · (129 episodes)
1950
The Shanghai Chest
Willie Best
1948
Half Past Midnight
Andy Jones
1948
The Red Stallion
Jackson
1947
Suddenly It's Spring
Porter on Train
1947
Dangerous Money
Chattanooga Brown
1946
The Bride Wore Boots
Joe
1946
The Face of Marble
Shadrach
1946
She Wouldn't Say Yes
Porter (uncredited)
1945
Hold That Blonde!
Willie Shelley
1945
The Red Dragon
Chattanooga Brown
1945
Pillow to Post
Lucille, Colonial Auto Court Porter
1945
The Monster and the Ape
Flash
1945
Music for Millions
Red Cap (uncredited)
1944
The Mark of the Whistler
Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)
1944
The Girl Who Dared
Woodrow
1944
The Adventures of Mark Twain
Butler
1944
Home in Indiana
Mo' Rum (uncredited)
1944
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Soldier in "Ice Cold Katie" Number (uncredited)
1943
The Kansan
Bones
1943
Dixie
Steward (uncredited)
1943
Cabin in the Sky
Second Idea Man
1943
Cinderella Swings It
Hipp
1943
The Powers Girl
Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)
1943
The Hidden Hand
Eustis, the chauffeur
1942
Scattergood Survives a Murder
Hipp
1942
Busses Roar
Sunshine
1942
A-Haunting We Will Go
Waiter
1942
Maisie Gets Her Man
Sam (Uncredited)
1942
Juke Girl
Jo-Mo
1942
Whispering Ghosts
Euclid White Brown
1942
The Body Disappears
Willie
1941
Breakdowns of 1941
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1941
Nothing But the Truth
Samuel
1941
The Smiling Ghost
Clarence
1941
Minstrel Days
Singer
1941
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company "B"
Hot-Breath Harry (voice) (uncredited)
1941
Highway West
Bub Wellington
1941
Kisses for Breakfast
Arnold
1941
The Lady from Cheyenne
George
1941
Scattergood Baines
Hipp
1941
Road Show
Willie
1941
Flight from Destiny
George
1941
High Sierra
Algernon
1941
Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
Andrew
1940
Money and the Woman
George Washington Jones
1940
The Ghost Breakers
Alex
1940
Blondie on a Budget
Newsboy (uncredited)
1940
I Take This Woman
Sambo
1940
Slightly Honorable
Art, Elevator Operator
1939
Private Detective
Norton's Valet
1939
The Covered Trailer
Baltimore
1939
Blondie Brings Up Baby
Hotel Janitor (uncredited)
1939
At the Circus
Redcap (uncredited)
1939
Blackmail
Bunny - the Janitor (uncredited)
1939
Way Down South
Chimney Sweep
1939
Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation
Driver (uncredited)
1939
Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter
Apollo Johnson
1939
Mr. Moto in Danger Island
Launch Pilot
1939
The Saint Strikes Back
Algernon, Simon's Butler (Uncredited)
1939
Blondie
Porter
1938
Spring Madness
Porter on Train
1938
Straight, Place and Show
Hannibal
1938
Youth Takes a Fling
George
1938
I'm from the City
Train Porter
1938
Vivacious Lady
Porter
1938
Goodbye Broadway
Jughead
1938
Merrily We Live
George
1938
Gold Is Where You Find It
Joshua
1938
Everybody's Doing It
Jasper - Elevator Operator
1938
Crashing Hollywood
Train Porter (uncredited)
1938
Saturday's Heroes
Sam
1937
The Lady Fights Back
McTavish
1937
Mississippi Moods
1937
Super-Sleuth
Warts, Martin's manservant
1937
Meet the Missus
Bootblack
1937
You Can't Buy Luck
Airline Porter (uncredited)
1937
Breezing Home
Speed
1937
Racing Lady
Brass
1937
We Who Are About to Die
Airport Porter (uncredited)
1937
Deep South
1937
Night Waitress
Black Pedestrian
1936
General Spanky
Henry
1936
Thank You, Jeeves!
Drowsy
1936
Mummy's Boys
Catfish
1936
Down the Stretch
Noah
1936
The Green Pastures
Henry - the Angel (uncredited)
1936
The Bride Walks Out
Smokie
1936
Murder on a Bridle Path
'High-Pockets'
1936
Two in Revolt
Eph
1936
Silly Billies
Excitement
1936
Muss 'em Up
Janitor at Spivali's Bar (uncredited)
1936
The Littlest Rebel
James Henry
1935
To Beat the Band
Elevator Operator
1935
Hot Tip
Apollo
1935
Jalna
Sam
1935
The Arizonian
Pompey
1935
The Nitwits
Sleepy
1935
Hit and Rum
Shoe Shine Man (uncredited)
1935
Raised and Called
1935
Murder on a Honeymoon
Willie (as Sleep 'n' Eat)
1935
Horse Heir
1935
West of the Pecos
Jonah (as Sleep 'n' Eat)
1934
Kentucky Kernels
Buckshot (as Sleep 'n' Eat)
1934
Little Miss Marker
Dizzy Memphis (uncredited)
1934
The Monster Walks
Exodus (as Sleep n' Eat)
1932
The Guilty Generation
Club Merlin Doorman (uncredited)
1931
Up Pops the Devil
Laundryman
1931
Virtuous Husband
Luftus
1931
Feet First
Janitor
1930
Ladies of Leisure
George (uncredited)
1930