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Warner Oland

Warner Oland

Actor · Died August 6, 1938, aged 58 · Nyby, Västerbottens län, Sweden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Warner Oland (born Johan Verner Ölund, October 3, 1879 – August 6, 1938) was a Swedish-American actor most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American characters: the Honolulu Police detective, Lieutenant Charlie Chan; Dr. Fu Manchu; and Henry Chang in Shanghai Express. His family emigrated to the United States when he was 13. He pursued a film career that would include time on Broadway and dozens of film appearances, including 16 Charlie Chan films. After several years in theater, including appearances on Broadway as Warner Oland, in 1912 he made his silent film debut in Pilgrim's Progress, a film based on the John Bunyan novel. As a result of his training as a Shakespearean actor and his easy adoption of a sinister look, he was much in demand as a villain and in ethnic roles. Over the next 15 years, he appeared in more than 30 films, including a major role in The Jazz Singer (1927), one of the first talkies produced. Oland's normal appearance fit the Hollywood expectation of caricatured Asianness of the time, despite his having no definitively proven Asian cultural background. Oland portrayed a variety of Asian characters in several movies before being offered the leading role in the 1929 film, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu. It was the first onscreen portrayal of the Fu Manchu character in film. Oland continued to appear onscreen as an Asian, probably more often than any other white actor in the history of cinema. In Old San Francisco, Oland played an Asian unsuccessfully impersonating a white man. Oland was the first actor to play a werewolf in a major Hollywood film, biting the protagonist, played by Henry Hull, in Werewolf of London (1935). Once again, Oland's character was Asian. A box office success, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu made Oland a star, and during the next two years he portrayed the evil Dr. Fu Manchu in three more films (although the second one was purely a cameo appearance). Firmly locked into such roles, he was cast as Charlie Chan in the international detective mystery film Charlie Chan Carries On (1931) and then in director Josef von Sternberg's 1932 classic film Shanghai Express opposite Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong. The enormous worldwide box office success of his Charlie Chan film led to more, with Oland starring in 16 Chan films in total. The series, Jill Lepore later wrote, "kept Fox afloat" during the 1930s, while earning Oland $40,000 per movie. Oland took his role seriously, studying the Chinese language and calligraphy.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 3, 1879
Died
August 6, 1938 (aged 58)
From
Nyby, Västerbottens län, Sweden
Works as
Actor
Titles
23 on MovieCove · 94 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26

What are Warner Oland's films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
49%
Bonds
24%
Self
10%
Power
5%
Society
5%
Ideas
3%
Survival
3%
Justice14 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 13 · Serious 8 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 8 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 16 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 20 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

20 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 10 of 20 analyzed roles.

Hero
10 of 20
Shadow
6 of 20
Herald
1 of 20
Trickster
1 of 20
Threshold guardian
1 of 20
Shapeshifter
1 of 20
Show the 20 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Warm
9
Romantic
7
Thrilling
6
Melancholic
4
Other
14

How their films linger

Feel-good15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Warner Oland's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Subscription and free streaming for Warner Oland's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

94 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood(2019)

    as Charlie Chan (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • In Search of Charlie Chan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Charlie Chan (archive footage)

  • The Horror Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as (archive footage)

  • Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo(1937)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan on Broadway(1937)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Olympics(1937)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Opera(1936)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Race Track(1936)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Circus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Charlie Chan

  • Charlie Chan's Secret(1935)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan in Shanghai(1935)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Shanghai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Ambassador Lun Sing

  • Charlie Chan in Egypt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Charlie Chan

  • Werewolf of London(1935)

    as Dr. Yogami

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan in Paris(1935)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Movies on Sundays (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Charlie Chan (uncredited)

  • The Painted Veil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as General Yu

  • Charlie Chan in London(1934)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back(1934)

    as Prince Achmed

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan's Courage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Charlie Chan

  • Mandalay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Nick

  • As Husbands Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Hippolitus Lomi

  • Charlie Chan's Greatest Case(1933)

    as Charlie Chan

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Before Dawn(1933)

    as Dr. Paul Cornelius

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Son-Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Fen Sha

  • A Passport to Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Baron von Sydow, Police Commandant

  • Shanghai Express(1932)

    as Mr. Henry Chang

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan's Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Charlie Chan

  • Daughter of the Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Fu Manchu

  • The Big Gamble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Andrew North

  • The Black Camel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Charlie Chan

  • Charlie Chan Carries On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Charlie Chan

  • Dishonored(1931)

    as Colonel von Hindau

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Drums of Jeopardy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Dr. Boris Karlov

  • The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Dr. Fu Manchu

  • Paramount on Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Fu Manchu (Murder Will Out)

  • The Vagabond King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Thibault

  • Dangerous Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Schomberg

  • The Mighty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Sterky

  • The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu(1929)

    as Dr. Fu Manchu

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Studio Murder Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Rupert Borka

  • Chinatown Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as "Boston Charley" Wu

  • The Faker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Hadrian

  • Dream of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as The Duke

  • The Scarlet Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Ivan Zaneriff

  • Wheel of Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Mosher Turkeltaub

  • Stand and Deliver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Ghika - the Bandit Leader

  • Good Time Charley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Good Time Charley Keene

  • Sailor Izzy Murphy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Perfume Manufacturer

  • The Jazz Singer(1927)

    as Cantor Rabinowitz

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Old San Francisco(1927)

    as Chris Buckwell

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • When a Man Loves(1927)

    as André Lescaut

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • What Happened To Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as W. Bradberry, Father

  • A Million Bid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Geoffrey Marsh

  • Man of the Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Clint Beasley

  • Tell It to the Marines(1926)

    as Chinese Bandit Chief

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Twinkletoes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Roseleaf

  • The Marriage Clause (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Max Ravenal

  • The Mystery Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Eli Sinsabaugh

  • Don Juan(1926)

    as Cesare Borgia

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Infatuation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Osman Pasha

  • The Winding Stair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Petras

  • Flower of Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Luke Rand

  • Don Q Son of Zorro(1925)

    as The Archduke Paul

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Riders of the Purple Sage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Lew Walters aka Judge Dyer

  • Curlytop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Shanghai Dan

  • So This Is Marriage? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as King David

  • The Fighting American (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Fu Shing

  • His Children's Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Dr. Dahl

  • The Pride of Palomar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Okada

  • East Is West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Charley Yong

  • Hurricane Hutch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    as Clifton Marlow

  • The Yellow Arm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    as Joel Bain

  • The Phantom Foe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Uncle Leo Sealkirk

  • The Third Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    as Curtis Steele / Malcolm Graw

  • The Witness for the Defense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Captain Ballantyne

  • The Avalanche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Nick Delano

  • The Twin Pawns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as John Bent

  • Mandarin's Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Li Hsun

  • The Lightning Raider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Wu Fang

  • The Yellow Ticket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Baron Andrey

  • The Naulahka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Maharajah

  • The Cigarette Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Mr. Wilson

  • The Fatal Ring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Richard Carslake

  • Patria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as Baron Huroki

  • The Rise of Susan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Sinclair La Salle

  • Beatrice Fairfax (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Detective

  • The Eternal Question (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Pierre Felix

  • The Eternal Sapho (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as H. Coudal

  • The Reapers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as James Shaw

  • Destruction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Mr. Deleveau

  • Sin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Pietro

  • The Romance of Elaine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Actor

  • Pilgrim's Progress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

    as John Bunyon

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 94 titles from 1912 to 2019.

Biggest box office

Dishonored (1931)

$83 worldwide

Highest rated

Shanghai Express (1932)

Midcredits 88th

Most popular right now

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout

Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles.

  • 1927Screen debut· The Jazz Singer
  • 1931First top-billed film· The Black Camel
  • 1934Breakout· Charlie Chan in London

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting94 of 94: 94 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score78th

By decade

1910s19 · acting1920s37 · acting1930s35 · acting1970s1 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 62% of 13 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Warner Oland's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 23; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Approval · how many liked their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 23 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood (2019)

81st percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Shanghai Express (1932)

Midcredits 88th · 77% liked

Reviewers score the acting 75/100 in their films, across 22 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 53. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Warner Oland work with?

People who share at least 2 of Warner Oland's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Earl Derr Biggers shares the most, 10.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers