Orlando Martins
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| Orlando Martins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1899 Lagos |
| Years active | 1930-1980 |
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]
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[edit] Life
Born in Lagos to a civil servant 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 | Hasty Heart | Blossom | |
| 1956 | Safari | Jerusalem | |
| 1957 | Abandon Ship | Sam Holly | |
| 1957 | Tarzan and the Lost Safari | Chief Ogonooro | |
| 1958 | Naked Earth | Tall Bearer | |
| 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 |
