Warner Oland

Warner Oland

Known for: Acting
Biography: 1879-10-03
Deathday: 1938-08-06 (58 years old)

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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.


Oland was the first actor to play a werewolf in a major Hollywood film, biting the protagonist, played by Henry Hull, in Werewolf of London (1935). Once again, Oland's character was Asian.


A box office success, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu made Oland a star, and during the next two years he portrayed the evil Dr. Fu Manchu in three more films (although the second one was purely a cameo appearance). Firmly locked into such roles, he was cast as Charlie Chan in the international detective mystery film Charlie Chan Carries On (1931) and then in director Josef von Sternberg's 1932 classic film Shanghai Express opposite Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong.


The enormous worldwide box office success of his Charlie Chan film led to more, with Oland starring in 16 Chan films in total. The series, Jill Lepore later wrote, "kept Fox afloat" during the 1930s, while earning Oland $40,000 per movie. Oland took his role seriously, studying the Chinese language and calligraphy.

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Filmography

all 98

Movies 98

self 4

Charlie Chan (archive)
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood (2019)

Movie
Charlie Chan
Reinventing Chan

Reinventing Chan (2008)

Movie
Charlie Chan (archive footage)
In Search of Charlie Chan

In Search of Charlie Chan (2006)

Movie
Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women

Complicated Women (2003)

Movie
Self (archive footage)
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' (1999)

Movie
(archive footage)
The Horror Show

The Horror Show (1979)

Movie
archive footage
Days of Thrills and Laughter

Days of Thrills and Laughter (1961)

Movie
Self (archive footage)
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10) (1942)

Movie
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937)

Movie
4.5
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan on Broadway

Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)

Movie
5
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan at the Olympics

Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937)

Movie
5.09
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan at the Opera

Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Movie
4.67
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan at the Race Track

Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936)

Movie
4.91
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan at the Circus

Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936)

Movie
5.44
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan's Secret

Charlie Chan's Secret (1936)

Movie
4.94
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan in Shanghai

Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935)

Movie
4.73
Ambassador Lun Sing
Shanghai

Shanghai (1935)

Movie
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan in Egypt

Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935)

Movie
5.19
Dr. Yogami
Werewolf of London

Werewolf of London (1935)

Movie
5.59
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan in Paris

Charlie Chan in Paris (1935)

Movie
4.17
Charlie Chan
Movies on Sundays

Movies on Sundays (1935)

Movie
General Yu
The Painted Veil

The Painted Veil (1934)

Movie
Inspector Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan in London

Charlie Chan in London (1934)

Movie
4.57
Prince Achmed
Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back

Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934)

Movie
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan's Courage

Charlie Chan's Courage (1934)

Movie
Nick
Mandalay

Mandalay (1934)

Movie
Hippolitus Lomi
As Husbands Go

As Husbands Go (1934)

Movie
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan's Greatest Case

Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933)

Movie
Dr. Paul Cornelius
Before Dawn

Before Dawn (1933)

Movie
Self
How to Break 90 #3: Hip Action

How to Break 90 #3: Hip Action (1933)

Movie
Fen Sha
The Son-Daughter

The Son-Daughter (1932)

Movie
Baron von Sydow, Police Commandant
A Passport to Hell

A Passport to Hell (1932)

Movie
Henry Chang
Shanghai Express

Shanghai Express (1932)

Movie
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan's Chance

Charlie Chan's Chance (1932)

Movie
Fu Manchu
Daughter of the Dragon

Daughter of the Dragon (1931)

Movie
Andrew North
The Big Gamble

The Big Gamble (1931)

Movie
Inspector Charlie Chan
The Black Camel

The Black Camel (1931)

Movie
4.5
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan Carries On

Charlie Chan Carries On (1931)

Movie
Colonel von Hindau
Dishonored

Dishonored (1931)

Movie
Dr. Boris Karlov
The Drums of Jeopardy

The Drums of Jeopardy (1931)

Movie
Dr. Fu Manchu
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu

The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930)

Movie
Fu Manchu (Murder Will Out)
Paramount on Parade

Paramount on Parade (1930)

Movie
Thibault
The Vagabond King

The Vagabond King (1930)

Movie
Schomberg
Dangerous Paradise

Dangerous Paradise (1930)

Movie
Sterky
The Mighty

The Mighty (1929)

Movie
Dr. Fu Manchu
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu

The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929)

Movie
Anton Borka
The Studio Murder Mystery

The Studio Murder Mystery (1929)

Movie
Boston Charley
Chinatown Nights

Chinatown Nights (1929)

Movie
Hadrian
The Faker

The Faker (1929)

Movie
The Duke, Current Dicator
Dream of Love

Dream of Love (1928)

Movie
Zaneriff
The Scarlet Lady

The Scarlet Lady (1928)

Movie
Mosher Turkeltaub
Wheel of Chance

Wheel of Chance (1928)

Movie
Ghika - the Bandit Leader
Stand and Deliver

Stand and Deliver (1928)

Movie
The Cantor
The Jazz Singer

The Jazz Singer (1928)

Movie
'Good Time' Charley Keene
Good Time Charley

Good Time Charley (1927)

Movie
Perfume Manufacturer
Sailor Izzy Murphy

Sailor Izzy Murphy (1927)

Movie
Chris Buckwell
Old San Francisco

Old San Francisco (1927)

Movie
André Lescaut
When a Man Loves

When a Man Loves (1927)

Movie
William Bradberry
What Happened To Father

What Happened To Father (1927)

Movie
Geoffrey Marsh
A Million Bid

A Million Bid (1927)

Movie
Clint Beasley
Man of the Forest

Man of the Forest (1926)

Movie
Chinese Bandit Chief
Tell It to the Marines

Tell It to the Marines (1926)

Movie
Roseleaf
Twinkletoes

Twinkletoes (1926)

Movie
Max Ravenal
The Marriage Clause

The Marriage Clause (1926)

Movie
Eli Sinsabaugh
The Mystery Club

The Mystery Club (1926)

Movie
Cesare Borgia
Don Juan

Don Juan (1926)

Movie
1
Osman Pasha
Infatuation

Infatuation (1925)

Movie
Petras
The Winding Stair

The Winding Stair (1925)

Movie
Luke Rand
Flower of Night

Flower of Night (1925)

Movie
The Archduke Paul
Don Q Son of Zorro

Don Q Son of Zorro (1925)

Movie
Lew Walters aka Judge Dyer
Riders of the Purple Sage

Riders of the Purple Sage (1925)

Movie
Shanghai Dan
Curlytop

Curlytop (1924)

Movie
King David
So This Is Marriage?

So This Is Marriage? (1924)

Movie
Mario Dorando
One Night in Rome

One Night in Rome (1924)

Movie
Fu Shing
The Fighting American

The Fighting American (1924)

Movie
Dr. Dahl
His Children's Children

His Children's Children (1923)

Movie
Okada
The Pride of Palomar

The Pride of Palomar (1922)

Movie
Charley Yong
East Is West

East Is West (1922)

Movie
Clifton Marlow
Hurricane Hutch

Hurricane Hutch (1921)

Movie
Uncle Leo Sealkirk
The Phantom Foe

The Phantom Foe (1920)

Movie
Curtis Steele / Malcolm Graw
The Third Eye

The Third Eye (1920)

Movie
Captain Ballantyne
The Witness for the Defense

The Witness for the Defense (1919)

Movie
Nick Delano
The Avalanche

The Avalanche (1919)

Movie
John Bent
The Twin Pawns

The Twin Pawns (1919)

Movie
Wu Fang
The Lightning Raider

The Lightning Raider (1919)

Movie
Baron Andrey
The Yellow Ticket

The Yellow Ticket (1918)

Movie
Maharajah
The Naulahka

The Naulahka (1918)

Movie
Richard Carslake
The Fatal Ring

The Fatal Ring (1917)

Movie
Baron Huroki
Patria

Patria (1917)

Movie
Sinclair La Salle
The Rise of Susan

The Rise of Susan (1916)

Movie
Detective
Beatrice Fairfax

Beatrice Fairfax (1916)

Movie
Pierre Felix
The Eternal Question

The Eternal Question (1916)

Movie
H. Coudal
The Eternal Sapho

The Eternal Sapho (1916)

Movie
James Shaw
The Reapers

The Reapers (1916)

Movie
Mr. Deleveau
Destruction

Destruction (1915)

Movie
Pietro
Sin

Sin (1915)

Movie
The Romance of Elaine

The Romance of Elaine (1915)

Movie
John Bunyon
Pilgrim's Progress

Pilgrim's Progress (1912)

Movie

Ratings

Average 4.88
Based on 70.1 Thousand movie and tv ratings over time
1912
1924
1929
1925
2019
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Warner OlandWarner Oland

Information

Known For
Acting

Gender
Male

Birthday
1879-10-03

Deathday
1938-08-06 (58 years old)

Birth Name
Johan Verner Ölund

Birth Place
Västerbotten County, Sweden

Citizenships
Sweden, United States of America

Also Known As
Johan Verner Ölund


This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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