Ernest Anderson was an American actor. He became known for his role as an African American paralegal and law student who is falsely accused of manslaughter by a white woman in the Warner Bros. film In This Our Life in 1942. For his performance, he received a National Board of Review Award for Best Actor in 1942.
Biography
Anderson attended Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. and later earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University.
Anderson moved to Hollywood and took a job with Warner Brothers. His first acting role was in In This Our Life (1942). Bette Davis had arranged Anderson's interview for the part of Parry Clay in that film.
He served briefly in the Army at the end of World War II. He returned to Warner Bros. after serving in World War II.
Selected filmography
In This Our Life (1942) - Parry Clay
The Peanut Man (1947) The Well (1952) - Mr. Crawford Band Wagon (1953) - Train Porter North by Northwest (1959) - Porter Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) - Ice cream cone seller Tick, Tick, Tick (1970) - Homer Coma (1972) - First Doctor Last of the Good Guys (1978) - Uncle Stan The Return (1980) - Dr. Mortorff