Miramax has bought the rights to the franchise and hopes to produce several films based on the popular 1930's and 40's series in which first Warner Oland, and then Sidney Toler and Roland Winters, played the detective in 44 films.
Despite his wealth and success, Oland suffered from alcoholism that severely affected his health and his 30-year marriage. In January 1938, he started filming Charlie Chan at the Ringside. However, a week into shooting, he began behaving erratically and eventually walked off the set, causing the film to be abandoned.
Warner Oland was the first actor to portray Charlie Chan – as we know him – in sixteen films produced at Fox studios (later Twentieth Century-Fox) from 1931 until his death in 1938.
The actor who played Charlie Chan in that and 40 other films was Warner Oland; like Sidney Toler, the actor who succeeded him in the role, Oland was Caucasian -- Swedish, in fact! But, to Hollywood, Oland looked vaguely Asiatic.
Pro File: Sidney Toler - The Man Who Became Charlie Chan - Hollywood Behind the Scenes Documentary
Who is the most played character in movie history?
Although Dracula is the most-played character of all time in movies and TV, the most-played human character is Sherlock Holmes. Created by Arthur Conan Doyle, the Great Detective made his debut in A Study in Scarlet in 1887, and he became very popular in no time.
Eric Roberts. Nicknamed “The Hardest-Working Man in Hollywood”, Julia's big brother might not be as famous as his baby sister, but he is far more prolific — he has amassed 455 film and 191 television credits since 1978, making him the single most prolific screen actor of all time.
Many of us think of Keye Luke as “Charlie Chan's number one son, Lee.” This, of course, is because he was thus portrayed in a number of movies. However, the early films are faithful to the books. (“Charlie Chan Carries On”, for example, identifies Chan's eldest son as “Henry.”)
Of these, only Kuwa and Kamiyama were not Caucasian; they were Japanese, though the character of Charlie Chan is Chinese. Additional trivia note: Though Charlie Chan was never portrayed by a Chinese actor, his “Number One Son” Lee Chan was played by Chinese actor Keye Luke (1904-1991).
You`re six actors short on Chan. Nine have played the Chinese detective: George Kuwa in a 1926 serial; Kamiyama Sojin in a 1928 movie; E.L. Park in a 1929 movie; Oland in 16 movies, 1931-37; Toler in 22 movies, 1938-47; and Roland Winters in six movies, 1948-52.
According to Huang, although many view Charlie Chan as a derogatory figure stereotyping Asians, Charlie Chan was a more complex character with deeper implications for both American and Chinese culture.
This short documentary charts the professional life of Keye Luke, from his early career as an artist to his iconic roles as Lee Chan (Number One Son) in the Charlie Chan series and Master Po in Kung Fu.
Charles Chan (18 December 1914 – 26 February 2008) and Lee-lee Chan (1916 – 28 February 2002) were the parents of actor/director/singer Jackie Chan and the grandparents of actor/singer/composer Jaycee Chan.
Frances—Charlie's daughter—“Black Magic” (aka “Meeting at Midnight”). Jimmy—Charlie's number two son (“Charlie Chan in Honolulu”). Tommy (aka as “Thomas”—Chan's number three son—“Charlie Chan in Honolulu,” “Charlie Chan in the Secret Service,” “The Chinese Cat,” and more. Eddie (aka “Edward”)—Charlie's number four son.
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American police detective created by Earl Derr Biggers. He first appeared in novels, then made the leap to movies. Charlie Chan at the Opera's racism can shock modern movie-goers.
Biggers. …for the popular literary creation Charlie Chan. A wise Chinese-American detective on the Honolulu police force, Charlie Chan is the protagonist of a series of mystery detective novels that spawned popular feature films, radio dramas, and comic strips.
What movies did Charlie Chan play number one son in?
"Number One Son" appeared in the last two Chan features, The Feathered Serpent (1948), along with "Number Two Son" Tommy Chan (Victor Sen Yung) in their only appearance together, and Sky Dragon (1949). In both of these films, Luke was older than the actor playing his father.
I found this to be a fascinating story--about the "real" Charlie Chan, Chinese- Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. A fearless man, standing only five feet tall, he became a legend in Honolulu. And he was the inspiration for the fictional Chinese detective "Charlie Chan," created by an Ohioan named Earl Derr Biggers.
As of August 2023, Samuel L. Jackson was the highest-grossing leading actor in the United States and Canada, which combined are known as the North American movie market. Movies featuring Jackson as a protagonist collectively amassed 5.72 billion U.S. dollars domestically.
