Ernest Anderson
Ernest Anderson was born in Lynn MA and earned his high school diploma in Washington D.C. at Dunbar High School, formerly named The Preparatory High School for Colored Youth. Founded in 1891, it was America's first public high school for black students. He earned his bachelor's degree at Northwestern University's School of Drama and Speech. He moved to Hollywood and was working in the service department when Bette Davis arranged for him to interview for the role of Perry Clay in the film "In This Our Life" (1942). Mr. Anderson persuaded the director, John Huston, to change the racist dialog of his character typical of Hollywood in that era, to one of dignified intelligence and emotion. After serving his country in WWII, he returned to Warner Brothers where he continued to humanize the roles of America's black performers. He remained active in film until the late 1960's. He died in DeLand, Florida, on March 5, 2011.
Advertising man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
as ErnieA former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.
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No Way Out
as School Teacher (uncredited)Two hoodlum brothers are brought into a hospital for gunshot wounds, and when one of them dies...
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Backfire
as James - Party Servant 9 (uncredited)When he's discharged from a military hospital, ex-GI Bob Corey goes on a search for his army...
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In This Our Life
as Parry ClayAn unhappy, self-centered woman runs off with her sister's husband, wreaking havoc and ruining...
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Lady on a Train
as uncreditedWhile watching from her train window, Nikki Collins witnesses a murder in a nearby building....
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Buccaneer's Girl
as FootmanA New Orleans performer loves a pirate who robs only from the shipowner who ruined his father.
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Riff-Raff
as Wong - Houseboy (uncredited)A private detective foils the plans of villains attempting to take over Panamanian oilfields...
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The Well
as Ralph CrawfordIn a racially mixed American town, a five-year-old black girl falls unnoticed into a hidden,...
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Without Reservations
as Dining Car Waiter (uncredited)Kit Madden is traveling to Hollywood, where her best-selling novel is to be filmed. Aboard the...
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Tick... Tick... Tick...
as HomerRacial tensions threaten to explode when a black man is elected sheriff of a small, racially...
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Lost in the Jungle
as HansJan Kruga and his daughter Meta live on a farm in the Transvaal. The nearest neighbor, Sir John...
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East Side, West Side
as uncreditedA vain businessman puts strains on his happy marriage to a rich, beautiful socialite by allowing...
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The Iron Mistress
as Riverboat Cabin BoyIn this biopic, Jim Bowie goes to New Orleans, where he falls for Judalon and befriends her...
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Three for Bedroom C
as Fred JohnsonAfter beginning their train trip to California, a famous film actress and her daughter discover...
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Princess O'Rourke
as Messenger (uncredited)A down-to-earth pilot charms a European princess on vacation in the United States.
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Sport of Kings
as AlfTwo brothers from the North try to gain favor in the South after they inherit a horse farm in...
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The Peanut Man
as RobertAt the offices of Consolidated Producers Corporation, producer Tony Paton is determined to make...
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