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(3 September 1902, Monroe, Louisiana
- 28 September 1973, Hollywood, California)
 Moreland
began acting by the time he was an adolescent, reportedly running
away to join the circus. By the late 1920s, he had made his way
through vaudeville, working with various shows and revues,
performing on Broadway and touring Europe. Initially, Moreland
appeared in low-budget "race movies" aimed at African-American
audiences, but as his comedic talents came to be recognized, he
received roles in larger productions.
Monogram Pictures signed Moreland to appear opposite Frankie Darro
in the studio's popular action pictures. Moreland, with his bulging
eyes and cackling laugh, quickly became a favorite supporting player
in Hollywood movies. He is perhaps best known for his role as
chauffeur Birmingham Brown in Monogram's Charlie Chan series. At the
height of his career, Moreland received steady work from major film
studios, as well as from independent producers who starred Moreland
in low-budget, all-black-cast comedies.
Moreland also toured America in vaudeville, making personal
appearances in the nation's movie theaters. His straight man was Ben
Carter, and they developed an excellent rapport and impeccable
timing. Their hilarious "incomplete sentence" routines can be seen
in two Charlie Chan pictures, The Scarlet Clue and Dark Alibi.
Moreland was offered fewer roles in the 1950s, when filmmakers began
to reassess roles given to black actors. Moreland returned to the
stage and appeared in two all-black variety films in 1955, with
Nipsey Russell standing in for Ben Carter as his straight man.
Moreland's last featured role was in the 1964 darkly humorous horror
film Spider Baby, which was patterned after Universal's thrillers of
the 1940s. After suffering a stroke in the early 1960s, Moreland
took on a few minor comedic roles, working with the likes of Bill
Cosby, Moms Mabley and Carl Reiner. |
