James Hong, American actor and director
James Hong (traditional Chinese: 吳漢章; simplified Chinese: 吴汉章; pinyin: Wú Hànzhāng; Jyutping: Ng4 Hon3zoeng1; born February 22, 1929) is an American actor, producer and director. He has worked in numerous productions in American media since the 1950s, portraying a variety of roles. With more than 650 film and television credits as of 2021, he is one of the most prolific actors of all time.He became known to audiences through starring in the detective series The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (1957–1958), and through frequent appearances on many television shows including the original Hawaii Five-O (1969–1974), Bonanza (1960), Perry Mason (1962–1963), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1965–1966), I Spy (1965–1967), and Kung Fu (1972–1975). He has appeared in numerous films, in both comedic and dramatic roles, including Kahn the butler in Chinatown (1974) and its sequel The Two Jakes (1990), Hannibal Chew in Blade Runner (1982), David Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Jeff Wong in Wayne's World 2 (1993), Master Hong in Balls of Fury (2007), Jerry Chen in R.I.P.D. (2013), and Mr. Gao in Turning Red (2022).
As a voice actor, Hong voiced Chi-Fu in Mulan (1998), Daolon Wong on the animated television series Jackie Chan Adventures (2002–2004) and Mr. Ping in the Kung Fu Panda media franchise, in addition to several video game roles including Sleeping Dogs and Call of Duty: Black Ops II (both 2012). Hong also voiced several characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender. In 2021, Hong voiced Zong Shi in Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans.
Earlier in his career, Hong co-founded East West Players, the first Asian American theatre organization and the longest continuously running theatre of color in the United States, to increase Asian American representation in the industry. He is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the American film and television industries.