Orlando Martins
| Orlando Martins | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 8, 1899 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Died |
September 25, 1985 (aged 85) Lagos, Nigeria |
| 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]
Life
Martins was born in Lagos, Nigeria, to a civil servant Brazilian father. He was related to the Benjamin Epega family. During World War I he served as a stoker on the RMS Mauretania to avenge German cruelty to his family.
Following the end of the war, he moved to England: on arrival in 1919 he joined Sanger's Circus and started his performing career in the chorus. He also worked as a wrestler (known as "Black Butcher Johnson")[3]
Career
In 1920, Martins was an extra acting with the Diaghilev ballet company, and was on the tour with the British company of Show Boat as a professional singer. He was an extra in silent films, having made his debut in If Youth But Knew.[3] 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 that starred the legendary Paul Robeson. Martins also featured with Robeson in the 1935 film Sanders of the River[4] and Men of Two Worlds (1946) alongside Robert Adams.
Martins died at the age of 85 in Lagos and was buried at Ikoyi cemetery.[3]
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
- ↑ Harry Levette, "This is Hollywood". Chicago Defender, September 10, 1949, p. 25.
- ↑ Al Monroe, "Swinging the News," Chicago Defender, October 18, 1947, p. 19.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Stephen Bourne, Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television, London: Continuum, 2001; chapter 7, "Robert Adams and Orlando Martins: Men of Two Worlds", pp. 76-80.
- ↑ "Orlando Jones," AFI Catalog.
Further reading
- Takiu Folami, Orlando Martins, the Legend: an intimate biography of the first world acclaimed African film actor, Lagos, Nigeria: Executive Publishers, 1983.
External links
- Orlando Martins at the Internet Movie Database
- In defence of the films we have made
- Preview of relevant chapter in book Black in the British Frame
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