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Andy Sullivan: Against the Grain

You might not know the name James Hong but you know the face and some of the roles he has played.  I was watching CBS Sunday Morning this past weekend and learned more.  The 92 year-old character actor (he’s been an actor for 68 years) says he’s probably the only living person who’s worked with Groucho Marx. 

Today, 445 screen credits later, Hong has been in the movies China Town, Blade Runner, the television shows Bonanza, The Big Bang Theory and a memorable episode of Seinfeld.  He was the maitre’d at the Chinese restaurant when Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer were trying to get a table quick so they could get to their movie on time. 

He might’ve been in more tv shows and movies than anyone.  The son of Chinese immigrants, Hong was born in Minneapolis in 1929.  As a young boy, Huang didn’t speak much English, making him a target in school.  Hong’s parents wanted him to be an engineer.  Then he was drafted to fight in the Korean War. 

Hong entertained troops by doing impressions.  He got laughs and then got an idea.  His big break came when he appeared on You Bet Your Life with Graucho Marx.  He’d go onto play stereotypical characters because, as Hong said, “if you didn’t play stereotypical roles, you didn’t work”. 

By the 1970’s, Hong had already amassed a few 100 credits, including playing Faye Dunaway’s butler in Chinatown.  More recently, he’s been in every iteration of Kung Fu Panda.  This year, he will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  At 92, the characters keep coming. And Hong already has project lined up to add to his 445 credits.  Clearly character actor James Hong shows no signs of slowing down. (CBS Sunday Morning, 1-23-22).

From his first, uncredited, role in 1954 as a South Korean pilot trainee in Dragonfly Squadron, all the way through the ‘70’s(he played a doctor and a waiter on All In The Family), Dr Pao in the tv series Barretta, forensic expert Kumagi on Rockford Files in 1976, Starsky & Hutch, Diff’Rent Strokes, Dukes of Hazzard, Fall Guy, A-Team, Cagney & Lacey, Blacklist(2016), Hawaii Five O(2018) and much more. 

If I’m working as long as James Hong has been, I’ll consider myself blessed.  And I’ll probably be tired, too.

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