James Hong is a ground-breaking actor. Determined to become one, Hong has guest-starred on nearly every American television show you can name, and has been in supporting roles in some of the most memorable films produced in the last 40 years. His longetivity was celebrated at his Forecourt ceremony, held on his 95th birthday.

Born into a large family (Hong has five siblings), The Hong's lived in Hong Kong when James was five to ten years old. When the family moved back to Minneapolis, father Frank Wu ran an herb shop. It was here where young James saw Peking Opera performers rehearsing in the shop's back room. That sold the boy, but his parents were less mesmerized.

While being snubbed for lead roles in high school productions, after graduating in 1947, Hong studied civil engineering at the University of Minnesota, joining the Minnesota Army National Guard. During the Korean War, Hong helped organize entertainments at Fort Rucker (today's Fort Novosel) in Alabama. After the war, Hong returned to his studies of civil engineering at USC, graduating in 1954.

Working his day job as a road engineer for Los Angeles County, snooping around the studios resulted in his being cast here and there: he played the "Fifth Brother" in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing with William Holden (which played the Chinese in August 1955) and some other films, like Battle Hymn with Rock Hudson (released in January 1957), where he played a Korean Army Major.

When he was cast as "Number One Son" - Barry - in The New Adventures of Charlie Chan with J. Carrol Naish in the title role, aired in syndication from August 1957, Naish, who was openly hostile to Hong, got him kicked off the show in early 1958.

After this, Hong did a ton of television, appearing on shows like Playhouse 90, Dragnet, Peter Gunn, Zorro, Bat Masterson, Death Valley Days, Bachelor Father, Bonanza, etc. He played a headwaiter in Flower Drum Song with Nancy Kwan (released in November 1961). Hong continued to be a reliable character actor and got one-episode slots in everything from Have Gun - Will Travel, Wagon Train and The Outer Limits, to Perry Mason, Ben Casey and The Fugitive. He got a three-episode arc as Prince Phanong in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with Robert Vaughn, aired over NBC (in color!) in September 1965.

1965 was significant in another way. Hong, along with several others actors (including his one-day fellow domestic in Chinatown - Beulah Quo), founded the very first professional theatre company focusing on Asian Americans - the East West Players, still running today in Los Angeles.

After playing Victor Shu, a minor character, for director Robert Wise in The Sand Pebbles with Steve McQueen (released in December 1966), and after lots more televiision work (Gomer Pyle: USMC, I Spy, Family Affair and Here's Lucy, Hong got to play what he considered one of the very few "non-cliched" roles: as a scientist, "Dr. Chin" in Colossus: The Forbin Project with Eric Braeden (released in April 1970).

Working on features slowed his television work somewhat. He was "Ti Chong" in The Hawaiians with Charlton Heston (released in June 1970), and then appeared as a doctor wrongly accused of murder in The Carey Treatment with James Coburn (released in March 1972).

All this film work must have inspired Hong to try it out for himself. March 1972 also saw the release of his first effort at producing and directing, the low budget Hot Connections with Tallie Cochrane. He signed the film as "James Young" (a habit he would continue with all of his early directing work).

A small but key role for Hong is that of Faye Dunaway's butler, Kahn, in Chinatown with Jack Nicholson (which played the Chinese in May 1974) He's in The Two Jakes also (released in August 1980); somehow, Hong got cast in a film rather trying to tie into the success of that film, playing criminal mastermind "Y. C. Chan" in China Girl with Pamala Yen (released in January 1975).

Back in televisionland, Hong guested on McMillan & Wife, All in the Family, Baretta, The Rockford Files, Starsky and Hutch, The Bionic Woman, Maude. . . Meanwhile, drive-ins and 2nd-run houses saw the release in September 1978 of Teen Lust with Kirsten Baker, which Hong produced and directed, signing it as "James Hall."

Hong played a "Japanese General" in Airplane! with Robert Hays (released in July 1980), and "Chew" the eyeball maker "I just do eyes." in Blade Runner with Harrison Ford (released in June 1982). It is a testament to Hong's approach to acting that his turn as the baddie David Lo Pan in the action spoof/comedy Big Trouble in Little China with Kurt Russel (released in July 1986); it has become one of his best-known portrayals. Later than year saw Hong as "Doctor Hong" in The Golden Child with Eddie Murphy (which played the Chinese in December 1986).

The Eighties saw Hong guest on Fantasy Island, Dallas, The Dukes of Hazzard, St. Elsewhere, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, General Hospital, T.J. Hooker, Days of Our Lives, The A-Team, Cagney & Lacey, Magnum, P.I., Miami Vice, The Equalizer. . . The decade closed with the release of Hong's The Vineyard with Karen Witter. Hong got top-billing, co-wrote the script and co-directed.

The Nineties saw Hong make a huge impression as the manager in "The Chinese Restaurant" episode of Seinfeld, aired over NBC in May 1991. Hong was getting more feature work, but still found time to appear on MacGyver, Doogie Howser, M.D., Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The X-Files, many espisodes of Kung Fu, and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Home Improvement, Murphy Brown, Ellen, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Friends. . . The decade closed with another film produced, directed and starring Hong, Scandalous Behavior with Shannon Tweed (released in November 1999) .

More recently, Hong continues to amaze. He played "Wu" in The Art of War with Wesley Snipes (which played the Chinese in August 2000), he plays "Mr. Ping" in the Kung Fu Panda franchise: Kung Fu Panda from 2008, Kung Fu Panda 2 from 2011, Kung Fu Panda 3 from 2016 and Kung Fu Panda 4 from 2024. Hong made a huge impression playing Michelle Yeoh's crabby Gong Gong in Everything Everywhere All at Once (which played the Chinese in April 2022). Hong is the producer, co-writer and star of The Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms with Bai Ling (released in February 2024) on Amazon Prime.