Mantan Moreland
Known for Acting · 111 credits
- Born
- 1902-09-03
- Died
- 1973-09-28
- Place of birth
- Monroe, Louisiana, USA
- Also known as
- Man Tan Moreland · Manton Moreland · Manten Moreland · Carter & Moreland · Moreland
Biography
Born just after the turn of the century in Louisiana, Mantan began running away from home at age 12 to join circuses and medicine shows, only to be brought back time and again. During these times he sharpened his comic skills and developed routines and acts that eventually became popular on the vaudeville stage, or what was then called the "chitlin' circuit." A solo performer by nature, he often teamed up with other famous comics (such as Ben Carter) to keep working, and became a deft performer of "indefinite talk" routines, where two quicksilver comics continually topped each other in mid-sentence, as if reading each other's mind (i.e., "Say, did you see...?" "Saw him just yesterday...didn't look so good"). Mantan's focus gradually shifted his trade toward film, where he initially appeared in servile bits (shoeshine men, porters, waiters). However, his talent for making people laugh couldn't be overlooked and he soon earned featured status in Harlem-styled western parodies and grade "A" comedy films playing the superstitious, ever-terrified manservant running from any kind of impending doom.
Moreland's peak in movies came with his recurring role as Birmingham, the skittish chauffeur, in the "Charlie Chan" series, where he was forever forewarning his boss to stay away from an obviously dangerous case or situation. Though haunted mansions were an ideal place for setting off his stereotyped character, Mantan would be haunted in a different way by this Hollywood success in years to follow. By the 1950s, racial attitudes began to change and, with the rise of the civil rights movement, what was once considered hilarious was now interpreted as demeaning and offensive to both blacks and whites. Mantan and others, such as Stepin Fetchit, were ostracized and ridiculed by Hollywood for their past negative portrayals. It took decades for audiences to forgive and newer generations to forget the Depression-era comedy of Mantan Moreland in order for the actor to come back.
In the late 1960s he managed a modest resurgence on TV and in commercials and occasional films, allowing him to work again with such comic heavyweights as Bill Cosby, Godfrey Cambridge and director Carl Reiner. It was all too brief, however, for Mantan, long suffering from ill health, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1973, just as he was settling in to his renewed popularity. Today, audiences tend to be kinder and more understanding of Moreland, remembering him as a highly talented comic who, in the only way he knew, broke major barriers and opened the doors for others black actors to follow.
Known For
TV Shows (4)
Movies (107)
The Comic
1969
as Passerby at Billy's Funeral (unbilled)
Maryland
1940
Spider Baby
1967
as Messenger
Lucky Ghost
1942
as Washington
Sleepers West
1941
as Porter (uncredited)
Dressed to Kill
1941
as Rusty
Cracked Nuts
1941
as Burgess
Gang Smashers
1938
as Gloomy
Chasing Trouble
1940
as Thomas H. Jefferson
The Dreamer
1948
The Trap
1946
as Birmingham Brown
The Patsy
1964
as Barber Shop Porter
The Shanghai Cobra
1945
as Birmingham Brown
Sarong Girl
1943
as Maxwell
Tarzan's New York Adventure
1942
as Sam, the Nightclub Janitor (uncredited)
Millionaire Playboy
1940
as Bellhop
Docks of New Orleans
1948
as Birmingham Brown
Phantom Killer
1942
as Nicodemus
The Gang's All Here
1941
as Jefferson 'Jeff' Smith
She Wouldn't Say Yes
1945
as Porter (uncredited)
Watermelon Man
1970
as Joe the Counterman
Swing Fever
1943
as Woody / Woody, Nick's Valet (uncredited)
Slightly Dangerous
1943
as Waiter at Swade's (uncredited)
Next Time I Marry
1938
as Tilby
A-Haunting We Will Go
1942
as Porter (uncredited)
Eyes in the Night
1942
as Alistair
Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
1941
as Roy
Irish Luck
1939
as Jefferson
The Chinese Ring
1947
as Birmingham Brown
Hit the Ice
1943
as Porter with Snowshoes (uncredited)
Tell No Tales
1939
as Sport Black at the Wake (uncredited)
Girl in 313
1940
as Porter
The Strange Case of Doctor Rx
1942
as Horatio B.Fitz Washington
City of Chance
1940
as Anxious Man
The Young Nurses
1973
as Old Man
King of the Zombies
1941
as Jefferson 'Jeff' Jackson
Captain Tugboat Annie
1945
as Pinto
The Shanghai Chest
1948
as Birmingham Brown
Sky Dragon
1949
as Birmingham Brown
Enter Laughing
1967
as Subway Rider
Star Dust
1940
as Waiter on Train
It Started with Eve
1941
as Railway Porter (uncredited)
Andy Hardy's Double Life
1942
as Prentiss - The Benedict Butler (uncredited)
Black Magic
1944
as Birmingham Brown
Freckles Comes Home
1942
as Jeff the porter
Shadows Over Chinatown
1946
as Birmingham Brown
Pin Up Girl
1944
as Train Station Porter (uncredited)
Charlie Chan in the Secret Service
1944
as Birmingham Brown
Cabin in the Sky
1943
as First Idea Man
See Here, Private Hargrove
1944
as Train Porter (uncredited)
Footlight Serenade
1942
as Amos
The Man Who Wouldn't Talk
1940
as Robbins
Moon Over Las Vegas
1944
as Porter
We've Never Been Licked
1943
as Willie
Dark Alibi
1946
as Birmingham Brown
Bowery to Broadway
1944
as Alabam
Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher
1943
as Eustace Smith
Viva Cisco Kid
1940
as Memphis - The Cook
The Golden Eye
1948
as Birmingham Brown
The Jade Mask
1945
as Birmingham Brown
Let's Go Collegiate
1941
as Jeff
Girl Trouble
1942
as Flint's Chauffeur
South of Dixie
1944
as The Porter
Drums of the Desert
1940
as Sergeant 'Blue' Williams
The Green Pastures
1936
as Angel Removing Hat (uncredited)
Up in the Air
1940
as Jeff Jefferson
Chip Off the Old Block
1944
as Porter
Four Shall Die
1940
as Beefus - Touissant's Chauffeur
The Spider
1945
as Harry
Revenge of the Zombies
1943
as Jefferson 'Jeff' Johnson
You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith
1943
as Porter
Riverboat Rhythm
1946
as Mantan
He Hired the Boss
1943
as Bootblack
Frontier Scout
1938
as Norris Family Butler
Sign of the Wolf
1941
as Ben
The Feathered Serpent
1948
as Birmingham Brown
The Scarlet Clue
1945
as Birmingham Brown, Chauffeur
Laughing at Danger
1940
as Jefferson
Professor Creeps
1942
as Washington
Two-Gun Man from Harlem
1938
as Bill Blake
Four Jacks and a Jill
1942
as Cicero - Wash Room Attendant (uncredited)
On the Spot
1940
as Jefferson White
Treat 'Em Rough
1942
as 'Snake-Eyes'
Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat
1944
as Birmingham Brown, Taxi Driver
Marry the Boss's Daughter
1941
as Diner Cook
Law of the Jungle
1942
as Jefferson "Jeff" Jones
Up Jumped the Devil
1941
as Washington
Tall, Tan and Terrific
1946
as Mantan Moreland
Riders of the Frontier
1939
as Chappie, the Cook
Birth of the Blues
1941
as Black Trumpet Player (uncredited)
Melody Parade
1943
as Skidmore
Ebony Parade
as Mantan
While Thousands Cheer
1940
as Nash
Mr. Washington Goes to Town
1942
as Schenectady Washington
Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost
1942
as Lightnin'
Come On, Cowboy!
1949
as Mantan
You're Out of Luck
1941
as Jeff Jefferson
Spirit of Youth
1938
as Creighton 'Crickie' Fitzgibbons
Rockin' the Blues
1956
as Self
Mantan Messes Up
1946
as Mantan
Harlem on the Prairie
1937
as Mistletoe
That's the Spirit
1933
as Night Watchman
Return of Mandy's Husband
1947
as Mantan
Mantan Runs for Mayor
1946
One Dark Night
1939
as Samson Brown
What a Guy
1948
She's Too Mean for Me
1948
About Mantan Moreland
Born just after the turn of the century in Louisiana, Mantan began running away from home at age 12 to join circuses and medicine shows, only to be brought back time and again. During these times he sharpened his comic skills and developed routines and acts that eventually became popular on the vaudeville stage, or what was then called the "chitlin' circuit." A solo performer by nature, he often teamed up with other famous comics (such as Ben Carter) to keep working, and became a deft performer of "indefinite talk" routines, where two quicksil… With 111 credits spanning from 1933 to 1973, Mantan Moreland has appeared in 107 films and 4 TV shows.
Fans searching for Mantan Moreland movies, Mantan Moreland filmography, or the latest projects starring Mantan Moreland can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Mantan Moreland Movies
- The Comic (1969) — as Passerby at Billy's Funeral (unbilled)
- Maryland (1940)
- Spider Baby (1967) — as Messenger
- Lucky Ghost (1942) — as Washington
- Sleepers West (1941) — as Porter (uncredited)
Where to Watch Mantan Moreland Films
Most Mantan Moreland movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Mantan Moreland, check our movies catalogue and browse page.