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Willie Best

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Actor

The Resume

    (May 27, 1916-February 27, 1962)
    Born in Sunflower, Mississippi
    Appeared in the films 'Feet First' (1930), 'The Monster Walks' (1932), 'Murder on a Honeymoon' (1935), 'The Littlest Rebel' (1935), 'Thank You Jeeves' (1936), 'Merrily We Live' (1937), 'Nancy Drew... Troubleshooter' (1939), 'The Ghost Breakers' (1940), 'High Sierra' (1941), 'The Smiling Ghost' (1941), 'Cabin in the Sky' (1943), 'Hold That Blonde' (1945), 'The Red Dragon' (1945), 'Dangerous Money' (1946) and 'High and Dizzy' (1950)
    Recurring roles as Willie the Handyman on 'The Trouble with Father' (1950-55) and Charlie on 'My Little Margie' (1953-55)

Why he might be annoying:

    In his early films, he was billed as 'Sleep N Eat.'
    In his film debut, 'Feet First,' his character was named Charcoal. (When the movie was re-released in the 60s, star Harold Lloyd overdubbed his lines to change the name to Charlie.)
    He was stereotyped as a slow-witted, lazy, easily frightened servant.
    Warner Brothers touted him as 'the man who replaced Stepin Fetchit as the screen's slowest moving, slowest talking human.'
    He was busted for heroin possession (1951).
    He was buried in an unmarked grave.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He occasionally got the director to cut out the most offensive parts of his roles.
    He told a journalist, 'I often think about these roles I have to play. Most of them are pretty broad.... But what's an actor going to do? Either you do it or you get out.'
    Bob Hope, who worked with him in 'The Ghost Breakers,' described him as 'the best actor I know.'
    He was depicted as a symbol of martyrdom in 'A Poem for Wille Best' by Amiri Baraka (1964).
    Fans paid for a plaque for his grave (2009).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 8 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying