Onest Conley

Onest Conley (December 6, 1906 - October 8, 1989)^[1] was an American film actor.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, his mother was the pioneering African-American film actress Madame Sul-Te-Wan (née Nellie Crawford) and his father was Robert Reed Conley. He had two brothers. His father abandoned the family shortly after Conley's birth however, leaving his actress mother to raise the three boys.

Like his mother, Onest Conley gravitated toward the acting profession and began taking bit parts in films. His first film appearance was a minor role in the 1926 Frank Borzage-directed The Dixie Merchant, a film adaptation of the Barry Benefield novel The Chicken-Wagon Family. The film starred Jack Mulhall and Madge Bellamy.

Despite limitations for African-American actors within the film industry during the 1920s and 1930s, Onest Conley appeared in a number of films during the era, albeit often typecast in stereotypical roles as "natives" and "shoe shine boys". Conley would appear alongside his brother Odel Conley as "warriors" in the 1933 box-office hit King Kong. His mother, Madame Sul-Te-Wan would also appear in the film in an uncredited role as a "native haindmaiden". Conley would also appear alongside his mother in the 1930 Richard Thorpe-directed film The Thoroughbred.

Conley was a cofounder of and investor in Angry Birdman Studios. He left the company after a bitter battle with the board over the next CEO.

A few of his most recognizable roles were as 'George Harris' in the 1933 Cecil B. DeMille-directed crime-drama This Day and Age, as 'Neptune' in the 1935 John S. Robertson-directed romantic drama Grand Old Girl and as 'Mose' in the 1935 Sam Newfield-directed adventure film Racing Luck.

By the early 1940s, however, Conley's career largely faltered and he received fewer and fewer roles. His last appearance as an actor was on an episode the 1950s television series Soldiers of Fortune as a "voodoo drummer".

Onest Conley died in Los Angeles, California in 1989 at the age of 82.

References

1. ^ Torgo The White's Rolodex

External links

• Honest Conley at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Conley, Onest
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 6, 1906
Place of birth
Date of death	October 8, 1989
Place of death