Ernest Whitman


Ernest Whitman was an American stage and screen actor. He was also billed in some Broadway plays as Ernest R. Whitman.

Early years

Whitman was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was educated at Tuskegee Institute. He was ordained as a minister in 1907. His participation in Chautauquas led to his becoming an entertainer in vaudeville.

Career

Whitman debuted as an entertainer in Purcell, Oklahoma. He performed on stage in The Last Mile and other productions. He sang in a touring production of Lucky Sambo.
He appeared in a number of films, including King for a Day, The Prisoner of Shark Island, The Green Pastures, Jesse James, Gone With the Wind, Third Finger, Left Hand, Among the Living, Road to Zanzibar,
Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather, The Lost Weekend, My Brother Talks to Horses, Banjo and The Sun Shines Bright, his last movie.
On radio, Whitman was the wartime host of the Armed Forces Radio Service's Jubilee, which was designed for African-American troops and featured mostly African-American entertainers. He portrayed the character Awful on The Gibson Family. He played Bill Jackson on Beulah on radio and on TV.

Death

Whitman died at his home of a liver ailment on August 5, 1954, in Hollywood, aged 61.

Broadway roles

Billed as Ernest Whitman

—Source: Internet Broadway Database

Billed as Ernest R. Whitman

  • Harlem as Kid Vamp and in ensemble
  • Savage Rhythm as Sweetback
  • Bloodstream as Duke Taylor
  • The Monster as Caliban
  • John Brown as Frederick Douglass
—Source: Internet Broadway Database

Filmography

  • King for a Day as Mr. Brown
  • The Prisoner of Shark Island as 'Buck' Milford
  • The Green Pastures as Pharaoh
  • White Hunter as Abdi
  • They Gave Him a Gun as Roustabout
  • Nothing Sacred as Policeman
  • Daughter of Shanghai as Sam Blike
  • Pacific Liner as Professor – Black Stoker
  • Jesse James as Pinkie
  • Tell No Tales as Slab Griffin
  • 6,000 Enemies as Black Prisoner Willie Johnson
  • Gone With the Wind as Carpetbagger's Friend
  • Congo Maisie as Varnai
  • Castle on the Hudson as Alexander '8 Ball' Hamilton
  • Buck Benny Rides Again as Colored Gentleman
  • Safari as Witch Doctor
  • Maryland as Dogface
  • Mystery Sea Raider as First Fisherman
  • The Return of Frank James as Pinky
  • Third Finger, Left Hand as Sam
  • Santa Fe Trail as Black Man in Barn
  • Back Street as Porter #1
  • Road to Zanzibar as Whiteface
  • The Get-Away as 'Moose'
  • The Pittsburgh Kid as Feets Johnson
  • Married Bachelor as Black Men's Room Attendant
  • Birth of the Blues as Fancy-Pants, Doorman
  • Blues in the Night as Black Prisoner #1
  • Among the Living as Pompey
  • Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case as Sam
  • The Bugle Sounds as Cartaret
  • Drums of the Congo as King Malaba
  • Arabian Nights as Nubian Slave
  • The Human Comedy as Black Man on Train
  • Cabin in the Sky as Jim Henry
  • Stormy Weather as Jim Europe
  • The Impostor as Ekoua
  • The Adventures of Mark Twain as Stoker
  • Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears as Narrator
  • Dillinger as Jack – Black Prisoner
  • The Lost Weekend as Black Man Talking to Himself
  • She Wouldn't Say Yes as Train Bartender
  • My Brother Talks to Horses as Mr. Mordecai
  • Banjo as Uncle Jasper
  • Blonde Savage as Tonga
  • Half-Pint Pygmy as Pygmy
  • Beulah as Bill Jackson
  • The Sun Shines Bright as Pleasant 'Uncle Plez' Woodford