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Biography · Film & Television

Lew Payton

1874–1945

United States

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Biography

Lew Payton (June 27, 1874 – May 27, 1945) was an African American film actor, stage performer, and writer known for several films and stage productions including Chocolate Dandies with Josephine Baker, Smash Your Baggage (1932), Jezebel (1938), On Such a Night (1937), and Lady for a Night (1942) featuring John Wayne and Joan Blondell. In Lady for a Night, he performed Napoleon, the Alderson Family's manservant for characters Stephen Alderson (played by Philip Merivale) and Katherine Alderson (played by Edith Barrett).

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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