Benson Fong
Encyclopedia
Benson Fong was a Chinese American
character actor
.
Born in Sacramento, California
, Fong was from a mercantile family. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, he studied briefly in China
before joining relatives in commercial activities in California.
, His Majesty O'Keefe
, Flower Drum Song
, and Our Man Flint
. During World War II
he was often cast in either Japanese or Chinese roles. He is best remembered as Number Three Son "Tommy Chan" in the Charlie Chan
movies of 1944-46. His later career as an actor included many TV appearances. He was "The Old One" in Kung Fu
.
Modern audiences will remember him as Mr. Tang Wu in Disney's The Love Bug
. Actress Michele Lee
later said that the 52-year-old actor had to have his jet-black hair sprayed bright white to make him look older.
In later life Benson Fong became a successful restaurateur, and opened several Ah Fong restaurants in California
.
in Los Angeles, California
in 1987, survived by his wife Gloria and five children. He was cremated, and his ashes scattered at sea.
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
.
Born in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, Fong was from a mercantile family. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, he studied briefly in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
before joining relatives in commercial activities in California.
Career
Beginning in 1937, he appeared in minor film roles, though he later had important roles in many films, including The Keys of the KingdomThe Keys of the Kingdom (film)
The Keys of the Kingdom is a 1944 American film based on the 1941 novel, The Keys of the Kingdom, by A. J. Cronin. The movie was adapted by Nunnally Johnson, directed by John M. Stahl and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Rose Stradner, Edmund...
, His Majesty O'Keefe
His Majesty O'Keefe
His Majesty O'Keefe is a 1954 adventure film starring Burt Lancaster. The film was directed by Byron Haskin and Otto Heller and included choreography by Daniel Nagrin...
, Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song (film)
Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y...
, and Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint is a 1966 action film that parodies of James Bond genre. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr, and starring James Coburn as master spy Derek Flint...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was often cast in either Japanese or Chinese roles. He is best remembered as Number Three Son "Tommy Chan" in the Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
movies of 1944-46. His later career as an actor included many TV appearances. He was "The Old One" in Kung Fu
Kung Fu (TV series)
Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
.
Modern audiences will remember him as Mr. Tang Wu in Disney's The Love Bug
The Love Bug
The Love Bug is the first in a series of comedy films made by Walt Disney Productions that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie...
. Actress Michele Lee
Michele Lee
Michele Lee is an American singer, dancer, actress, producer, director and frequent game show panelist of the 1970s. She is best-known for her role as Karen Cooper Fairgate MacKenzie on the 1980s prime-time soap opera, Knots Landing...
later said that the 52-year-old actor had to have his jet-black hair sprayed bright white to make him look older.
In later life Benson Fong became a successful restaurateur, and opened several Ah Fong restaurants in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Death
Fong died of a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1987, survived by his wife Gloria and five children. He was cremated, and his ashes scattered at sea.
Partial filmography
- Charlie Chan at the OperaCharlie Chan at the OperaCharlie Chan at the Opera is considered by many to be the best Warner Oland Charlie Chan film, probably due to the co-acting of Boris Karloff. This is the 13th film starring Oland as Chan and produced by Fox in 1936.- Plot :...
(1936) .... Opera Extra - The Fighting Devil DogsThe Fighting Devil DogsThe Fighting Devil Dogs is a 12-chapter Republic movie serial starring Lee Powell and Herman Brix, the latter better known by his later stage name, Bruce Bennett. It was directed by William Witney and John English...
(1938) .... Gehorda outlaw [Ch. 9] - Behind the Rising SunBehind the Rising Sun (film)Behind the Rising Sun is a 1943 American war film based on the 1941 book by the same name written by James R Young. Later-blacklisted Edward Dmytryk directed the film, and it stars Margo, Tom Neal, J...
(1943) .... Japanese Officer with message - DestroyerDestroyer (1943 film)Destroyer is a 1943 war film starring Edward G. Robinson and Glenn Ford as U.S. Navy sailors in World War II.-Plot:Steve "Boley" Boleslavski helps build the destroyer John Paul Jones, the namesake of the ship he served on in World War I...
(1943) - Destination TokyoDestination TokyoDestination Tokyo is a 1943 submarine war film. It was directed by Delmer Daves and written by Daves, Steve Fisher and Albert Maltz, and stars Cary Grant and John Garfield with featured performances by Dane Clark, Robert Hutton and Warner Anderson. Production began on June 21, 1943 and continued...
(1943) .... Japanese - Charlie Chan in the Secret ServiceCharlie Chan in the Secret ServiceCharlie Chan in the Secret Service is a 1944 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan. It is the first film made by Monogram Pictures after the series was dropped by 20th Century Fox, and it marks the introduction of Number Three Son and taxi driver , Birmingham Brown .-Plot:Charlie...
(1944) .... Tommie Chan - Up in ArmsUp in ArmsUp in Arms is a 1944 film directed by Elliott Nugent. It stars Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1945.-Cast:*Danny Kaye as Danny Weems*Dinah Shore as Nurse Lt. Virginia Merrill*Dana Andrews as Joe Nelson...
(1944) .... Japanese sentry - The Purple HeartThe Purple HeartThe Purple Heart is a 1944 American war film directed by Lewis Milestone.It is a dramatization of the trial of a number of US airmen by the Japanese during the Second World War...
(1944) .... Moy Ling - Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat (1944) .... Tommy Chan, #3 Son
- Dragon Seed (1944) .... Student
- Thirty Seconds Over TokyoThirty Seconds over TokyoThirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a 1944 MGM war film. It is based on the true story of America's first retaliatory air strike against Japan four months after the December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The movie was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist. The screenplay by...
(1944) .... Young Dr. Chung - The Keys of the KingdomThe Keys of the Kingdom (film)The Keys of the Kingdom is a 1944 American film based on the 1941 novel, The Keys of the Kingdom, by A. J. Cronin. The movie was adapted by Nunnally Johnson, directed by John M. Stahl and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It stars Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Rose Stradner, Edmund...
(1944) .... Joseph - China SkyChina SkyChina Sky is a novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1941. The story centers around love, honor, and wartime treachery in an American-run hospital in the fictional town of Chen-li, China, during the Japanese invasion....
(1945) .... Chung - The Scarlet ClueThe Scarlet ClueThe Scarlet Clue is a 1945 American film directed by Phil Rosen.The film is also known as Charlie Chan in the Scarlet Clue and Charlie Chan: The Scarlet Clue in Australia...
(1945) .... Tommy Chan - Back to BataanBack to BataanBack to Bataan is a World War II war film produced by Robert Fellows, directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring John Wayne and Anthony Quinn. It was produced by RKO Radio Pictures. It depicts events that took place after the Battle of Bataan on the island of Luzon in the Philippines...
(1945) .... Officer making broadcast - Nob HillNob Hill (1945 film)Nob Hill is a 1945 technicolor film about a Barbary Coast saloon keeper starring George Raft and Joan Bennett. Part musical and part drama, the movie was directed by Henry Hathaway.-Cast:*George Raft as Tony Angelo*Joan Bennett as Harriet Carruthers...
(1945) .... Chinese boy - Secret Agent X-9Secret Agent X-9Secret Agent X-9 was a comic strip begun by writer Dashiell Hammett and artist Alex Raymond . Syndicated by King Features, it ran from January 22, 1934 until February 10, 1996....
(1945) .... Dr. Hakahima - The Shanghai CobraThe Shanghai CobraThe Shanghai Cobra is a 1945 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan.-Synopsis:When three bank employees are killed with cobra venom, Detective Chan is recalls an oddly similar case ten years earlier in Shanghai...
(1945) .... Tommy Chan - First Yank Into TokyoFirst Yank into TokyoFirst Yank into Tokyo is a 1945 United States war film; it takes place within World War II. It was directed by Gordon Douglas.-Plot:In the film, the U.S. government assigns Major Steve Ross to receive plastic surgery to appear Japanese; Ross had lived in Japan and is well versed with Japanese culture...
(1945) .... Capt. Tanahe - The Red DragonThe Red DragonThe Red Dragon is a 1946 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, who has to sift through a host of suspects for three murders.-Cast:*Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan*Fortunio Bonanova as Insp...
(1945) .... Tommy Chan - Dark AlibiDark AlibiDark Alibi is a 1946 American film directed by Phil Karlson featuring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan.- Plot :Charlie Chan works with a public defender to clear a man wrongly convicted and scheduled for execution.- Cast :* Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan...
(1946) .... Tommy Chan - Deception (1946) .... Jimmy, Hollenius' Servant
- CalcuttaCalcutta (1947 film)Calcutta is an American crime film noir directed by John Farrow, and written and produced by Seton I. Miller. The drama features Alan Ladd, Gail Russell and William Bendix.-Cast:* Alan Ladd as Neale Gordon* Gail Russell as Virginia Moore...
(1947) .... Young Chinese Clerk - Women in the NightWomen in the NightWomen in the Night is a 1948 American film directed by William Rowland.The film is also known as When Men Are Beasts.- Cast :*Tala Birell as Yvette Aubert*William Henry as Philip Adams / Maj. von Arnheim*Richard Loo as Col. Noyama...
(1948) .... Chang - HazardHazard (film)HAZARD is a 2005 Japanese film mostly shot in New York, written and directed by Sono Sion, starring Joe Odagiri and Jai West. It is the story of three youths who attempt to avenge their rights in a society of criminals and thugs.-External links:...
(1948) .... Houseboy - Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture (1949) .... Wong's Salescler
- Chinatown at Midnight (1949) .... Joe Wing
- Korea Patrol (1951) .... Kim, So. Korean scout
- Three Husbands (1951) .... George
- Peking ExpressPeking ExpressPeking Express is a Dutch/Flemish reality game show that follows a series of couples as they hitchhike to or from Beijing . The series has already gone through five seasons. In The Netherlands it is screened by Net 5 and in Belgium by VT4. A German version was shown in 2004...
(1951) .... Wong - Submarine CommandSubmarine commandSubmarine Command is a 1951 film starring William Holden, Don Taylor, Nancy Olson, William Bendix, and Darryl Hickman, directed by John Farrow...
(1952) .... South Korean officer - Back at the Front (1952) .... Rickshaw boy
- His Majesty O'KeefeHis Majesty O'KeefeHis Majesty O'Keefe is a 1954 adventure film starring Burt Lancaster. The film was directed by Byron Haskin and Otto Heller and included choreography by Daniel Nagrin...
(1954) .... Mr. Chou - Dragonfly SquadronDragonfly SquadronDragonfly Squadron is an American war film by Lesley Selander from 1954. It is set in the period shortly before and during the invasion of South Korea by North Korean troops.-Plot:...
(1954) .... Capt. Liehtse - Conquest of SpaceConquest of SpaceConquest of Space is a 1955 science fiction movie produced by George Pal which depicts a voyage to Mars. The science and technology were intended to be as realistic as possible...
(1955) .... Imoto - The Left Hand of God (1955) .... Chun Tien (husband of dying woman)
- The Scarlet Hour (1956)
- Five Gates to Hell (1959) .... Gung Sa
- Walk Like a Dragon (1960) .... Wu
- Flower Drum SongFlower Drum Song (film)Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y...
(1961) .... Wang - Girls! Girls! Girls!Girls! Girls! Girls!Girls! Girls! Girls! is a 1962 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley as a penniless Hawaiian fisherman who loves his life on the sea and dreams of owning his own boat. "Return to Sender", which reached #2 on the Billboard pop singles chart, is featured in the movie...
(1962) .... Kin Yung - Our Man FlintOur Man FlintOur Man Flint is a 1966 action film that parodies of James Bond genre. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr, and starring James Coburn as master spy Derek Flint...
(1966) .... Dr. Schneider - The Love BugThe Love BugThe Love Bug is the first in a series of comedy films made by Walt Disney Productions that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie...
(1968) .... Mr. Tang Wu - Travis Logan, D.A. (1971) .... Alfred Ling
- Kung FuKung Fu (TV series)Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
(1972) .... Han Fei - Charley VarrickCharley VarrickCharley Varrick is a 1973 crime film directed by Don Siegel and starring Walter Matthau, Andrew Robinson, Joe Don Baker and John Vernon. The film was based on the novel The Looters by John H. Reese.-Plot:...
(1973) .... Honest John - A Time for Love (1974)
- The Strongest Man in the WorldThe Strongest Man in the WorldThe Strongest Man in the World is a 1975 film starring Kurt Russell, still a student in the fictional Medfield College. It is the sequel to the 1972 film Now You See Him, Now You Don't, itself a sequel to the 1969 film, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.-Plot:Medfield College's Dean Higgins is being...
(1975) .... Ah Fong - He Is My BrotherHe Is My Brother-Cast:* Bobby Sherman as Jeff Remington* Kathy Paulo as Luana* Keenan Wynn as Brother Dalton* Robbie Rist as Randy Remington* Joaquín Martínez as The Kahuna* Benson Fong as Kiko...
(1976) .... Kiko - Oliver's StoryOliver's StoryOliver's Story is the sequel to the novel Love Story by Erich Segal, turned into a movie of the same name in 1978. It was directed by John Korty and starred Ryan O'Neal and Candice Bergen. The original music score was composed by Lee Holdridge and Francis Lai. Unlike the original film, Oliver's...
(1978) .... John Hsiang - Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (1979) .... Min Lo Chan
- S.O.B. (1981) .... Chef
- Jinxed!Jinxed!Jinxed! is a 1982 comedy-drama film starring Bette Midler, Rip Torn and Ken Wahl. Directed by Don Siegel, the veteran filmmaker would suffer a heart attack during the troubled production...
(1982) .... Dr. Wing - Moonlight (1982) .... Clifford Wu
- The Glitter Dome (1984) .... Wing
- Kung Fu:The MovieKung Fu:The MovieKung Fu: The Movie is a 1986 TV movie and the first in a series of sequels which continued the story of the Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine, first introduced in the 1972-75 television series, Kung Fu. The role of Caine is resumed by David Carradine. The role of his son, Chung Wang, is portrayed by...
(1986) .... The Old One