From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Sidney Toler born Hooper G Toler Jr April 28 1874 February 12 1947 was an American actor playwright and theatre director The second EuropeanAmerican actor to play the role of Charlie Chan on screen he is best remembered for his portrayal of the ChineseAmerican detective in 22 films made between 1938 and 1946 Before becoming Chan Toler played supporting roles in 50 motion pictures and was a highly regarded comic actor on the Broadway stage Description above from the Wikipedia article Sidney Toler licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia