- Orlando Martins
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Orlando Martins Born December 8, 1899
Lagos, NigeriaDied Lagos, Nigeria
September 25, 1985 (aged 85)Other names Pa Orlando Martins (Epega Family Great Uncle) Years active 1931-1971 Orlando Martins (1899–1985) was a pioneering black actor in film and on stage. In the late 1940s, he was one of England's most prominent and leading black actors,[1] and in a poll conducted in 1947, he was listed among England's top 15 favorite actors.[2]
Contents
Life
Born in Lagos, Nigeria to a civil servant Brazilian father, he came to England after World War I, during which he served as a stoker on the old Mauretania to avenge German cruelty to his family. On arrival in England he joined Sanger's Circus and started his performing career in the chorus.
Career
He was an extra on his first acting job in a ballet company. He also worked as a wrestler and was on the tour of the British Company: Show boat as a professional singer. In the 1930s he went into acting on the London stage, starring in among other things, Toussaint L'Ouverture, a 1936 play by C.L.R. James which also starred the legendary Paul Robeson. He also featured in the 1935 film with Robeson, Sanders of the River [3] and Men of Two Worlds (1946) alongside Robert Adams.
Selected filmography
Year Film Role Notes 1935 Sanders of the River Klova 1945 The Man from Morocco Jeremiah 1946 Men of Two Worlds Magole 1947 The End of the River Harrigan 1949 The Hasty Heart Blossom 1954 West of Zanzibar M'Kwongi 1955 Simba Headman 1956 Safari Jerusalem 1957 Abandon Ship Sam Holly 1957 Tarzan and the Lost Safari Chief Ogonooro 1958 The Naked Earth Tall Bearer 1959 Sapphire Barman 1959 The Nuns Story Kalulu 1960 Killers of Kilimajaro Chief Chief 1963 Call me Bwana Chief Tribal Chief 1965 Mister Moses Chief Chief 1965 A Boy Ten Feet Tall Abu Lubaba 1973 Kongi's Harvest Dr. Gbenga References
External links
Categories:- 1899 births
- 1985 deaths
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