James Hong
Actor
About This Interview
In his Archive interview, James Hong talks about his career as one of the most recognizable Asian-American character actors, discussing his experiences appearing in such TV series as: The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, Kung Fu, Hawaii Five-O, Seinfeld, and The Big Bang Theory. Additionally, he speaks about his featured role in the film Blade Runner ("I just do eyes"), how he came to write the story for an episode of Bachelor Father, and how his casting in the miniseries Marco Polo was a career highpoint (having initially lost the role).
Hong describes how little has changed for Asian-American actors in terms of the kinds of roles offered. He notes portrayals, however, in which he either played the role in a non-cliche way (such as a guest role on Dragnet) or worked within the role to create a full-bodied character (such as in the feature film Black Widow). Hong also talks about his agent Bessie Loo, who was Hollywood's main agent for Asian-American actors. James Hong was interviewed in North Hollywood, CA on April 27, 2010; Stephen Bowie conducted the two-and-a-half-hour interview.
Hong describes how little has changed for Asian-American actors in terms of the kinds of roles offered. He notes portrayals, however, in which he either played the role in a non-cliche way (such as a guest role on Dragnet) or worked within the role to create a full-bodied character (such as in the feature film Black Widow). Hong also talks about his agent Bessie Loo, who was Hollywood's main agent for Asian-American actors. James Hong was interviewed in North Hollywood, CA on April 27, 2010; Stephen Bowie conducted the two-and-a-half-hour interview.
Related To This Video
Featured Content
Video: Excerpt from Seinfeld: "The Chinese Restaurant" (as posted on You Tube)
Video: James Hong in one of his famous non-TV roles, in Blade Runner (as posted on You Tube)
Video: The Outer Limits: "The Hundred Days of the Dragon" (airdate: 9/23/63), guest-starring James Hong (from Hulu)
Resources
Links:
DVD: Kung Fu: The Complete Collection
IMDb entry on James Hong
Wikipedia entry on James Hong
Official website for James Hong
YouTube video player - HTML5 compatible.
Highlights
James Hong on quitting his civil engineering career to pursue an acting career
Clip begins at: 16:40, Duration: 01m 40s- Actor James Hong on how little change he's seen in the types of roles offered Asian-Americans in his lifetime
Clip begins at: 24:10, Duration: 02m 04s - Actor James Hong on playing a rare non-Asian-American-cliche part on Dragnet, per Jack Webb's instructions
Clip begins at: 52:24, Duration: 01m 08s 
Actor James Hong on being complimented by the producer of Kung Fu, and on the kinds of roles he played on the series
Clip begins at: 27:15, Duration: 01m 19s- Actor James Hong on his experiences appearing on Hawaii Five-O
Clip begins at: 53:10, Duration: 05m 18s - Actor James Hong on his agent Bessie Loo informing him he'd been cast on Marco Polo
Clip begins at: 37:28, Duration: 02m 32s 
Actor James Hong on his approach to the role of the Maitre d' on the classic Seinfeld episode "The Chinese Restaurant"
Clip begins at: 08:30, Duration: 04m 21s
Interview
- Part 1
- Introduction
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On being born and growing up in Minneapolis (and spending some time as a child in Hong Kong); on his parents; on listening to radio shows; on appearing on the radio contest show "Stairway to Stardom" and winning second place; on organizing shows during his years in the U.S. Army
Clip begins at: 00:12 - On his comedy team "Hong and (Donald) Parker"; on appearing on You Bet Your Life; on quitting his engineering job to pursue a career in entertainment; "breakthrough" film roles in the '50s
Clip begins at: 11:33 - On cliched roles offered to Asian-Americans that were "novelty" parts; on how he approached his role in the feature film Black Widow (1987); on impressions he did in his early days as a comic, including James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson
Clip begins at: 21:19 - On auditioning for the Fireside Theatre episode "Bamboo Cross" and experience with director John Ford; on an incident with his Blood Alley director William Wellman; on stars Lana Turner and Lorne Greene; on his agent Bessie Loo, who represented Asian-American actors
Clip begins at: 30:33 - On appearing as a regular in The New Adventures of Charlie Chan; on shooting in Europe; on J. Carrol Naish's portrayal of Charlie Chan; on getting fired when he missed a cue
Clip begins at: 44:10 - On a non-cliche part he played on Dragnet; on a guest-starring role on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin; on the vast number of TV productions during the '50s-'60s at Warner Brothers; on acting groups he got started
Clip begins at: 52:24 - Part 2
- On leading a temperate lifestyle; on appearing in an episode of Sugarfoot, direted by Robert Altman; on Raymond Burr's technique for reading cue cards; on Have Gun Will Travel star Richard Boone's acting technique;
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On a "one take" scene he did with George Takei on MacGyver; on his experience filming the feature film Blade Runner and the role he played ("I just do eyes");on running into George Takei when both he and Takei were auditioning for Sulu on Star Trek
Clip begins at: 15:48 - On appearing on Kung Fu; on working with David Carradine; on criticism of Carradine's portrayal of Caine; on other Asian-American actors Hong worked with, including Keye Luke; on his favorite roles on Kung Fu; on the set of Kung Fu (redressed from Camelot); briefly on his guest role on All in the Family; on I Dream of Jeannie's Larry Hagman
Clip begins at: 27:15 - On his experiences on Hawaii Five-O; on star Jack Lord
Clip begins at: 53:10 - Part 3
- On the TV movie Pueblo, where he played a particularly effective scene with Hal Holbrook; on how he came to co-write the story for an episode of Bachelor Father
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On his approach to the role of the Maitre d' on the classic Seinfeld episode "The Chinese Restaurant"; on meeting John Huston (on the set of Chinatown)
Clip begins at: 08:30 - On appearing on The X-Files and The West Wing; on the pleasant atmosphere on the set of The Big Bang Theory; on the treatment of Asian-American actors; on the number of roles he's played in his career
Clip begins at: 19:04
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Terrific interview!
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