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Willie Best

Willie Best

Actor · Died November 27, 1962, aged 49 · 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.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 27, 1913
Died
November 27, 1962 (aged 49)
From
Sunflower, Mississippi, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
44 on MovieCove · 117 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 30% in 30 days

What are Willie Best's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
37%
Bonds
30%
Survival
10%
Power
8%
Self
7%
Ideas
4%
Society
4%
Justice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 18 · Serious 3 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 13 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 16 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 17 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 9

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 19 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Trickster: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.

Trickster
2 of 4
Ally
2 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
14
Joyful
10
Tense
9
Hopeful
7
Thrilling
6
Other
6

How their films linger

Feel-good15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy18
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Willie Best's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 44 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Willie Best's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

117 credits, 44 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Charlie (archive footage)

  • Waterfront (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 81 episodes · as Billy Slocum

  • Meet the O'Briens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Willie

  • My Little Margie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Ellis in Freedomland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Male Model

  • South of Caliente(1951)

    as Willie, Stable Boy

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Racket Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Stu Erwin Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 129 episodes · as Willie

  • The Shanghai Chest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Willie Best

  • Half Past Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Andy Jones

  • The Red Stallion(1947)

    as Jackson

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Suddenly It's Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Porter on Train

  • Dangerous Money(1946)

    as Chattanooga Brown

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Bride Wore Boots(1946)

    as Joe

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Face of Marble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Shadrach

  • She Wouldn't Say Yes(1945)

    as Porter (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Hold That Blonde!(1945)

    as Willie Shelley

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Red Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Chattanooga Brown

  • Pillow to Post (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Lucille, Colonial Auto Court Porter

  • The Monster and the Ape(1945)

    as Flash

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Music for Millions(1944)

    as Red Cap (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Mark of the Whistler(1944)

    as Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Girl Who Dared(1944)

    as Woodrow

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Mark Twain(1944)

    as Butler

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Home in Indiana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Mo' Rum (uncredited)

  • Thank Your Lucky Stars(1943)

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

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Kansan(1943)

    as Bones

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Dixie(1943)

    as Steward (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Cabin in the Sky(1943)

    as Second Idea Man

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Cinderella Swings It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Hipp

  • The Powers Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Men's Room Attendant (uncredited)

  • The Hidden Hand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Eustis, the chauffeur

  • Scattergood Survives a Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Hipp

  • Busses Roar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Sunshine

  • A-Haunting We Will Go(1942)

    as Waiter

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Maisie Gets Her Man(1942)

    as Sam (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Juke Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Jo-Mo

  • Whispering Ghosts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Euclid White Brown

  • The Body Disappears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Willie

  • Nothing But the Truth(1941)

    as Samuel

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Minstrel Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Singer

  • The Smiling Ghost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Clarence

  • Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company "B" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Hot-Breath Harry (voice) (uncredited)

  • Highway West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Bub Wellington

  • Kisses for Breakfast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Arnold

  • The Lady from Cheyenne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as George

  • Scattergood Baines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Hipp

  • Road Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Willie

  • Flight from Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as George

  • High Sierra(1941)

    as Algernon

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Who Killed Aunt Maggie? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Andrew

  • Money and the Woman(1940)

    as George Washington Jones

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Ghost Breakers(1940)

    as Alex

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Blondie on a Budget (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Newsboy (uncredited)

  • I Take This Woman(1940)

    as Sambo

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Slightly Honorable(1939)

    as Art, Elevator Operator

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Private Detective (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Norton's Valet

  • The Covered Trailer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Baltimore

  • Blondie Brings Up Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Hotel Janitor (uncredited)

  • At the Circus(1939)

    as Redcap (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Blackmail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Bunny - the Janitor (uncredited)

  • Way Down South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Chimney Sweep

  • Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation(1939)

    as Driver (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter(1939)

    as Apollo Johnson

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Moto in Danger Island(1939)

    as Launch Pilot

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Saint Strikes Back(1939)

    as Algernon, Simon's Butler (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Blondie(1938)

    as Porter

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Spring Madness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Porter on Train

  • Straight, Place and Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Hannibal

  • Youth Takes a Fling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as George

  • I'm from the City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Train Porter

  • Vivacious Lady(1938)

    as Porter

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Goodbye Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Jughead

  • Merrily We Live(1938)

    as George

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Gold Is Where You Find It(1938)

    as Joshua

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Everybody's Doing It(1938)

    as Jasper - Elevator Operator

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Crashing Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Train Porter (uncredited)

  • Saturday's Heroes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Sam

  • The Lady Fights Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as McTavish

  • Mississippi Moods (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Actor

  • Super-Sleuth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Warts, Martin's manservant

  • Meet the Missus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Bootblack

  • You Can't Buy Luck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Airline Porter (uncredited)

  • Breezing Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Speed

  • Racing Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Brass

  • We Who Are About to Die(1936)

    as Airport Porter (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Deep South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Actor

  • Night Waitress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Black Pedestrian

  • General Spanky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Henry

  • Thank You, Jeeves! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Drowsy

  • Mummy's Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Catfish

  • Down the Stretch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Noah

  • The Green Pastures(1936)

    as Henry - the Angel (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Bride Walks Out(1936)

    as Smokie

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Murder on a Bridle Path(1936)

    as 'High-Pockets'

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Two in Revolt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Eph

  • Silly Billies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Excitement

  • Muss 'em Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Janitor at Spivali's Bar (uncredited)

  • The Littlest Rebel(1935)

    as James Henry

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • To Beat the Band (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Elevator Operator

  • Hot Tip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Apollo

  • Jalna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Sam

  • The Arizonian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Pompey

  • The Nitwits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Sleepy

  • Hit and Rum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Shoe Shine Man (uncredited)

  • Raised and Called (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Actor

  • Murder on a Honeymoon(1935)

    as Willie (as Sleep 'n' Eat)

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Horse Heir (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Actor

  • West of the Pecos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Jonah (as Sleep 'n' Eat)

  • Kentucky Kernels(1934)

    as Buckshot (as Sleep 'n' Eat)

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Little Miss Marker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Dizzy Memphis (uncredited)

  • The Monster Walks(1932)

    as Exodus (as Sleep n' Eat)

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • The Guilty Generation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Club Merlin Doorman (uncredited)

  • Up Pops the Devil(1931)

    as Laundryman

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Virtuous Husband(1931)

    as Luftus

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Feet First (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Janitor

  • Ladies of Leisure(1930)

    as George (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 89th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 117 titles from 1930 to 1962.

Highest rated

Nothing But the Truth (1941)

Midcredits 84th

Most popular right now

The Ghost Breakers (1940)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting117 of 117: 117 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score58th

By decade

1930s62 · acting1940s47 · acting1950s7 · acting1960s1 · acting

Billing

usually 11th · top billed in 0% of 13 roles
3040

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Willie Best's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 44; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 44 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th14
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 44 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

Virtuous Husband (1931)

83rd percentile spread · 32% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

High Sierra (1941)

Midcredits 92nd · 83% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Willie Best work with?

People who share at least 2 of Willie Best's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Howard Bretherton shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles