Turner was born in
Roswell, New Mexico on 28 October 1895 (?) (see #Note about Turner's birth date, below). Turner's arrival in Hollywood is recounted in two slightly different ways: in one version he drove his employer from New Mexico to California and decided to stay, alternating between chauffeur work and acting until his screen career was secure. In an alternative version of events recounted to Buddy Mason of
The Afro-American newspaper in 1930, Turner was a ranch worker in New Mexico who used his last savings to travel to Hollywood because of his love of films and desire to be an actor. In this version of events, Turner became a Chauffeur for the producer
Al Rockett, before winning a comedic part as a cook in
J.P. McGowan's film
Hills of Missing Men (1922). Many of the films Turner made with Flynn are now considered to be
lost films. After the success of
The Patent Leather Kid, for which Barthelmess was
Academy Award nominated as best actor, Barthelmess came to regard Turner as a lucky mascot in his movies: "Barthelmess considers Turner's presence a welcome promise of good luck." In 1929 a survey conducted by the
Central Casting Association and the
Motion Picture Producers Association analysed the Barthelmess film
Weary River, which had a supporting role for Turner: Dan Kelley (then casting director of First National) supplied the information that Turner was one of about 100 actors at the studio who were considered valuable at the box-office.
The Love Mart is a
lost film. In the late 1920s Turner suffered from a serious bout of food poisoning which left him hospitalized for months, and he lost most of his possessions. Released from hospital with no money, Turner took a job as a janitor in an apartment house and relied on food given to him by residents until he could get paid. At one point Turner found himself lining a waste basket with newspaper bearing his picture, with a review for one of his films – the review of his performance was good, and he later said: 'a little bit of encouragement to a man who is down can sure make him keep going, even if it comes out of a garbage pail.' Caffie worked as a beauty operator, and opened a desegregated hair salon while she and Turner were married: she later became a prominent Civil Rights advocate and community organiser, better known by her later married name
Caffie Greene. Turner and Caffie had one son together. Their marriage ended in divorce in about 1950. Turner served in WW2 and achieved the rank of TEC 4. He was initially stationed at
Camp Stoneman, near
Pittsburg, California. == Partial filmography ==