 Chan first appeared in Biggers ' novels , then was featured in a number of media . Over four dozen films featuring Charlie Chan were made , beginning in 1926 . The character was first portrayed by East Asian actors , and the films met with little success . In 1931 , the Fox Film Corporation cast Swedish actor Warner Oland as Chan in Charlie Chan Carries On ; the film became popular , and Fox went on to produce fifteen more Chan films with Oland in the title role . After Oland 's death , American actor Sidney Toler was cast as Chan ; Toler made twenty @-@ two Chan films , first for Fox and then for Monogram Studios . After Toler 's death , six films were made , starring Roland Winters . 
