Mantan Moreland
Known for Acting · 112 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 (108)
Girl Trouble
1942
as Flint's Chauffeur
Black Magic
1944
as Birmingham Brown
Swing Fever
1943
as Woody / Woody, Nick's Valet (uncredited)
The Trap
1946
as Birmingham Brown
Millionaire Playboy
1940
as Bellhop
Hit the Ice
1943
as Porter with Snowshoes (uncredited)
Dressed to Kill
1941
as Rusty
See Here, Private Hargrove
1944
as Train Porter (uncredited)
A-Haunting We Will Go
1942
as Porter (uncredited)
Spider Baby
1967
as Messenger
Captain Tugboat Annie
1945
as Pinto
Docks of New Orleans
1948
as Birmingham Brown
The Young Nurses
1973
as Old Man
Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat
1944
as Birmingham Brown, Taxi Driver
Tarzan's New York Adventure
1942
as Sam, the Nightclub Janitor (uncredited)
The Gang's All Here
1941
as Jefferson 'Jeff' Smith
The Shanghai Cobra
1945
as Birmingham Brown
The Patsy
1964
as Barber Shop Porter
Eyes in the Night
1942
as Alistair
Cabin in the Sky
1943
as First Idea Man
Andy Hardy's Double Life
1942
as Prentiss - The Benedict Butler (uncredited)
Four Jacks and a Jill
1942
as Cicero - Wash Room Attendant (uncredited)
Sign of the Wolf
1941
as Ben
The Dreamer
1948
Ebony Parade
as Mantan
The Shanghai Chest
1948
as Birmingham Brown
Law of the Jungle
1942
as Jefferson "Jeff" Jones
King of the Zombies
1941
as Jefferson 'Jeff' Jackson
Watermelon Man
1970
as Joe the Counterman
Chip Off the Old Block
1944
as Porter
Sleepers West
1941
as Porter (uncredited)
It Started with Eve
1941
as Railway Porter (uncredited)
Girl in 313
1940
as Porter
South of Dixie
1944
as The Porter
City of Chance
1940
as Anxious Man
Birth of the Blues
1941
as Black Trumpet Player (uncredited)
Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
1941
as Roy
Tell No Tales
1939
as Sport Black at the Wake (uncredited)
Tall, Tan and Terrific
1946
as Mantan Moreland
Charlie Chan in the Secret Service
1944
as Birmingham Brown
The Comic
1969
as Passerby at Billy's Funeral (unbilled)
The Feathered Serpent
1948
as Birmingham Brown
Star Dust
1940
as Waiter on Train
Revenge of the Zombies
1943
as Jefferson 'Jeff' Johnson
Slightly Dangerous
1943
as Waiter at Swade's (uncredited)
Up Jumped the Devil
1941
as Washington
The Chinese Ring
1947
as Birmingham Brown
The Strange Case of Doctor Rx
1942
as Horatio B.Fitz Washington
The Green Pastures
1936
as Angel Removing Hat (uncredited)
Shadows Over Chinatown
1946
as Birmingham Brown
Sarong Girl
1943
as Maxwell
Sky Dragon
1949
as Birmingham Brown
Let's Go Collegiate
1941
as Jeff
Bowery to Broadway
1944
as Alabam
The Golden Eye
1948
as Birmingham Brown
Up in the Air
1940
as Jeff Jefferson
Frontier Scout
1938
as Norris Family Butler
Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher
1943
as Eustace Smith
This Is the Life
1944
as Porter (uncredited)
We've Never Been Licked
1943
as Willie
What a Guy
1948
She Wouldn't Say Yes
1945
as Porter (uncredited)
Lucky Ghost
1942
as Washington
Footlight Serenade
1942
as Amos
Phantom Killer
1942
as Nicodemus
The Jade Mask
1945
as Birmingham Brown
Riverboat Rhythm
1946
as Mantan
Come On, Cowboy!
1949
as Mantan
Four Shall Die
1940
as Beefus - Touissant's Chauffeur
Next Time I Marry
1938
as Tilby
Pin Up Girl
1944
as Train Station Porter (uncredited)
She's Too Mean for Me
1948
Enter Laughing
1967
as Subway Rider
Moon Over Las Vegas
1944
as Porter
Dark Alibi
1946
as Birmingham Brown
Irish Luck
1939
as Jefferson
On the Spot
1940
as Jefferson White
The Spider
1945
as Harry
The Man Who Wouldn't Talk
1940
as Robbins
Two-Gun Man from Harlem
1938
as Bill Blake
The Scarlet Clue
1945
as Birmingham Brown, Chauffeur
Cracked Nuts
1941
as Burgess
Freckles Comes Home
1942
as Jeff the porter
Mantan Runs for Mayor
1946
One Dark Night
1939
as Samson Brown
Rockin' the Blues
1956
as Self
Maryland
1940
You're Out of Luck
1941
as Jeff Jefferson
He Hired the Boss
1943
as Bootblack
Laughing at Danger
1940
as Jefferson
Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost
1942
as Lightnin'
Spirit of Youth
1938
as Creighton 'Crickie' Fitzgibbons
Viva Cisco Kid
1940
as Memphis - The Cook
Riders of the Frontier
1939
as Chappie, the Cook
Chasing Trouble
1940
as Thomas H. Jefferson
Melody Parade
1943
as Skidmore
Mr. Washington Goes to Town
1942
as Schenectady Washington
Treat 'Em Rough
1942
as 'Snake-Eyes'
You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith
1943
as Porter
Marry the Boss's Daughter
1941
as Diner Cook
Drums of the Desert
1940
as Sergeant 'Blue' Williams
Mantan Messes Up
1946
as Mantan
Gang Smashers
1938
as Gloomy
That's the Spirit
1933
as Night Watchman
Professor Creeps
1942
as Washington
While Thousands Cheer
1940
as Nash
Return of Mandy's Husband
1947
as Mantan
Harlem on the Prairie
1937
as Mistletoe
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 112 credits spanning from 1933 to 1973, Mantan Moreland has appeared in 108 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
- Girl Trouble (1942) — as Flint's Chauffeur
- Black Magic (1944) — as Birmingham Brown
- Swing Fever (1943) — as Woody / Woody, Nick's Valet (uncredited)
- The Trap (1946) — as Birmingham Brown
- Millionaire Playboy (1940) — as Bellhop
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.