Onest Conley
Encyclopedia
Onest Conley 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film actor.
Born in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, his mother was the pioneering African-American film actress Madame Sul-Te-Wan
Madame Sul-Te-Wan
Madame Sul-Te-Wan was an American actress. The daughter of freed slaves, she began her career in entertainment touring the east coast with various theatrical companies and moved to California to become a member of the fledgling film community...
(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
Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage was an American film director and actor.-Biography:Frank Borzage's father, Luigi Borzaga, was born in Ronzone, in 1859. As a stonemason, he sometimes worked in Switzerland; he met his future wife, Maria Ruegg , where she worked in a silk factory...
-directed The Dixie Merchant, a film adaptation of the Barry Benefield
Barry Benefield
Barry Benefield was an American writer, some of whose books were adapted for the cinema...
novel The Chicken-Wagon Family. The film starred Jack Mulhall
Jack Mulhall
Jack Mulhall, born John Joseph Francis Mulhall, was a film actor since the silent film era and appeared in over 430 films....
and Madge Bellamy
Madge Bellamy
Madge Bellamy was an American film actress who was a popular leading lady in the 1920s and early 1930s. Her career declined in the sound era, and ended following a romantic scandal in the 1940s.-Early life:...
.
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
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
. 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
Richard Thorpe
Richard Thorpe was an American film director.Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, he began his entertainment career performing in vaudeville and onstage. In 1921 he began in motion pictures as an actor and directed his first silent film in 1923. He went on to direct more than one hundred...
-directed film The Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Charles Bartlett starring Charlotte Burton and Jack Prescott.-Cast:* Charlotte Burton as Angela Earle* Jack Prescott as Tom Cook* William Russell as Kelso Hamilton...
.
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
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
-directed crime-drama This Day and Age
This Day and Age (film)
This Day and Age is a 1933 film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is one of his rarest films and has not been released on DVD. In his book Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood, author Robert S...
, as 'Neptune' in the 1935 John S. Robertson
John S. Robertson
John Stuart Robertson was a Canadian born actor and later film director perhaps best known for his 1920 screen adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring John Barrymore. He broke into filmmaking in 1915 with Vitagraph, then with Famous Players-Lasky, making 57 features in his career...
-directed romantic drama Grand Old Girl and as 'Mose' in the 1935 Sam Newfield
Sam Newfield
Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld, also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American B-movie director, with over 250 feature films to his credit, and a large number of shorts, training films, industrial films, TV episodes, and pretty much anything anyone would pay him for...
-directed adventure film Racing Luck
Racing Luck
Racing Luck is a 1941 Australian comedy film directed by Rupert Kathner and starring Joe Valli, George Lloyd and Marshall Crosby. The jockey Darby Munro, who had a cameo as himself, described it as the best Australian film he had ever seen.-Cast:...
.
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
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1989 at the age of 82.