CineQuiz

Warner Oland

Warner Oland is known for The Jazz Singer (1927), Shanghai Express (1932), Werewolf of London (1935).

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Warner Oland (born Johan Verner Ölund, October 3, 1879 – August 6, 1938) was a Swedish-American actor most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American characters: the Honolulu Police detective, Lieutenant Charlie Chan; Dr. Fu Manchu; and Henry Chang in Shanghai Express. His family emigrated to the United States when he was 13. He pursued a film career that would include time on Broadway and dozens of film appearances, including 16 Charlie Chan films. After several years in theater, including appearances on Broadway as Warner Oland, in 1912 he made his silent film debut in Pilgrim's Progress, a film based on the John Bunyan novel. As a result of his training as a Shakespearean actor and his easy adoption of a sinister look, he was much in demand as a villain and in ethnic roles. Over the next 15 years, he appeared in more than 30 films, including a major role in The Jazz Singer (1927), one of the first talkies produced. Oland's normal appearance fit the Hollywood expectation of caricatured Asianness of the time, despite his having no definitively proven Asian cultural background. Oland portrayed a variety of Asian characters in several movies before being offered the leading role in the 1929 film, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu. It was the first onscreen portrayal of the Fu Manchu character in film. Oland continued to appear onscreen as an Asian, probably more often than any other white actor in the history of cinema. In Old San Francisco, Oland played an Asian unsuccessfully impersonating a white man.

Questions about Warner Oland

How many Warner Oland films are in the catalogue?

The CineQuiz catalogue has 49 films with Warner Oland, from 1917 to 2019.

What is the best rated Warner Oland film?

The best rated Warner Oland film in the catalogue is Shanghai Express (1932), rated 7.0.

What was the first Warner Oland film?

The first Warner Oland film in the catalogue is The Jazz Singer, from 1927.

Who has Warner Oland worked with the most?

In the catalogue, Warner Oland shares the most credits with Gustav von Seyffertitz (2 films), Herbert Evans (2 films) and Josef von Sternberg (2 films).

People data: TMDb.

Known for

Trivia

Also works as
translator
Spouse
Edith Oland

Trivia from Wikidata, licensed CC0.

Full filmography

99 films — 49 in the catalogue

People data: TMDb.

Cast