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Willie Best
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Actor Born: May 27, 1916 in Mississippi Death: February 27, 1962 in Los Angeles, CA Biography:African American actor Willie Best made his screen debut in Harold Lloyd's "Feet First" (1930). When Best, a veteran of a travelling show, came to Hollywood, he immediately fell prey to the stereotyping of the era. Promoted as a "new Stepin Fetchit," Best was transformed into a shuffling, "Yassuh boss" character billed as "Sleep 'N' Eat." Studio press releases of the 1930s made outrageous claims that not only did Best enjoy humiliating himself in "darkie" roles, but that the only compensation he wanted for his screen work was three square meals a day and a warm place to sleep. Despite the demeaning nature of his roles, Best performed them with consummate skill and razor sharp comic timing. Bob Hope, who worked with Best in "The Ghost Breakers" (1940) and "Nothing But the Truth" (1941), once referred to Willie as "the finest actor I knew." In the 1950s, Willie Best was a fixture at the Hal Roach... Full Biography
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