Richard Loo
Richard Loo (October 1, 1903 – November 20, 1983) was an American film actor who was one of the most familiar Asian character actors in American films of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1982. Chinese by ancestry and Hawaiian by birth, Loo spent his youth in Hawaii, then moved to California as a teenager. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and began a career in business. The stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent economic depression forced Loo to start over. He became involved with amateur, then professional, theater companies and in 1931 made his first film. Like most Asian actors in non-Asian countries, he played primarily small, stereotypical roles, though he rose quickly to familiarity, if not fame, in a number of films. His stern features led him to be a favorite movie villain, and the outbreak of World War II gave him greater prominence in roles as vicious Japanese soldiers in such successful pictures as The Purple Heart (1944) and God Is My Co-Pilot (1945). Loo was most often typecast as the Japanese enemy pilot, spy or interrogator during World War II. In the film The Purple Heart he plays a Japanese Imperial Army general who commits suicide because he cannot break down the American prisoners. According to his daughter, Beverly Jane Loo, he didn't mind being typecast as a villain in these movies as he felt very patriotic about playing those parts. In 1944 he appeared as a Chinese army lieutenant opposite Gregory Peck in The Keys of the Kingdom. He had a rare heroic role as a war-weary Japanese-American soldier in Samuel Fuller's Korean War classic The Steel Helmet (1951), but he spent much of the latter part of his career performing stock roles in films and minor television roles. In 1974 he appeared as the Thai billionaire tycoon Hai Fat in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, opposite Roger Moore and Christopher Lee. Loo was also a teacher of Shaolin monks in three episodes of the 1972–1975 hit TV series Kung Fu and made a further three appearances as a different character. His last acting appearance was in The Incredible Hulk TV series in 1981, but he continued to act in Toyota commercials into 1982. Loo died of a cerebral hemorrhage on November 20, 1983, age 80. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]
Known For
Credits
- 2002 · The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller as Sgt. Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1977 · The Incredible Hulk as
- 1977 · The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries as
- 1976 · Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur as Chiang-Kai-Shek
- 1974 · The Man with the Golden Gun as Hai Fat
- 1973 · Police Story as
- 1972 · Kung Fu as
- 1972 · Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, the Sign of the Dragon as Master Sun
- 1971 · Chandler as Leo
- 1971 · One More Train to Rob as Mr. Chang
- 1970 · McCloud as
- 1969 · Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities as Kenji Yamashita
- 1968 · Hawaii Five-O as Wong Tou
- 1968 · The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- 1966 · The Sand Pebbles as Major Chin
- 1966 · Family Affair as
- 1965 · I Dream of Jeannie as Wong
- 1965 · The Wild Wild West as
- 1965 · Honey West as Tog - Chinese Fine Arts Thief
- 1964 · Bewitched as
- 1963 · Burke's Law as Grass Slipper
- 1963 · The Outer Limits as Li-Chin Sung
- 1963 · The Dakotas as
- 1962 · Diamond Head as
- 1962 · A Girl Named Tamiko as Otani
- 1962 · Confessions of an Opium Eater as George Wah
- 1962 · The Beachcomber as Ah Wei
- 1960 · My Three Sons as
- 1960 · Hong Kong as Leo
- 1959 · The Scavengers as
- 1958 · Hong Kong Affair as Li Noon
- 1958 · The Quiet American as Mr. Heng
- 1957 · Maverick as
- 1957 · Perry Mason as Mr. Eng
- 1957 · Battle Hymn as Gen. Kim (scenes deleted)
- 1956 · Around the World in Eighty Days as Saloon Manager (uncredited)
- 1956 · The Conqueror as Captain of Wang's guard
- 1956 · The Man Called X as
- 1955 · Navy Log as
- 1955 · Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing as Robert Hung
- 1955 · House of Bamboo as Inspector Kito's Voice (voice) (uncredited)
- 1955 · Soldier of Fortune as Gen. Po Lin
- 1954 · December Bride as
- 1954 · The Shanghai Story as Officer
- 1954 · Living It Up as Dr. Lee
- 1954 · The Bamboo Prison as Commandant Hsai Tung
- 1954 · Hell and High Water as Hakada Fujimori
- 1953 · China Venture as Chang Sung
- 1953 · Destination Gobi as Commanding Officer, Japanese POW Camp (uncredited)
- 1953 · Target Hong Kong as Fu Chao
- 1952 · Cavalcade of America as
- 1952 · Cavalcade of America as Ho Chung
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Jo-Kai
- 1952 · 5 Fingers as
- 1951 · I Was an American Spy as Col. Masamato
- 1951 · The Steel Helmet as Sergeant Tanaka
- 1950 · The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- 1949 · Malaya as Colonel Genichi Tomura
- 1949 · The Clay Pigeon as Ken Tokoyama
- 1949 · State Department: File 649 as Marshal Yun Usu
- 1948 · Rogues' Regiment as Kao Pang
- 1948 · Studio One as
- 1948 · The Cobra Strikes as Hyder Ali
- 1948 · Half Past Midnight as Lee Gow
- 1948 · To the Ends of the Earth as Commissioner Lu (uncredited)
- 1948 · Women in the Night as Colonel Noyama
- 1947 · Beyond Our Own as James Wong
- 1947 · Web of Danger as Wing
- 1947 · Seven Were Saved as Colonel Yamura
- 1946 · Tokyo Rose as Colonel Suzuki
- 1945 · Prison Ship as Capt. Okisawa
- 1945 · First Yank into Tokyo as Col. Hideko Okanura
- 1945 · Back to Bataan as Maj. Hasko
- 1945 · China's Little Devils as Colonel Huraji
- 1945 · China Sky as Col. Yasuda
- 1945 · Betrayal from the East as Lt. Cmdr. Miyazaki, alias Tani
- 1945 · God Is My Co-Pilot as Tokyo Joe
- 1944 · The Keys of the Kingdom as Lt. Shon
- 1944 · The Story of Dr. Wassell as Chinese Doctor on Train (uncredited)
- 1944 · The Purple Heart as General Ito Mitsubi
- 1943 · So Proudly We Hail as Japanese Radio Announcer (Voice) (Uncredited)
- 1943 · Destroyer as Japanese Submarine Commander
- 1943 · Behind the Rising Sun as Japanese Officer Dispensing Opium
- 1943 · China as Lin Yun
- 1943 · Flight for Freedom as Mr. Yokahata (uncredited)
- 1943 · The Falcon Strikes Back as Jerry
- 1943 · The Amazing Mrs. Holliday as
- 1942 · Road to Morocco as Chinese Announcer (uncredited)
- 1942 · Across the Pacific as First Officer Miyuma
- 1942 · Wake Island as
- 1942 · Star Spangled Rhythm as Emperor Hirohito (uncredited)
- 1941 · Secret of the Wastelands as Quan
- 1940 · Doomed to Die as Tong Leader
- 1940 · The Fatal Hour as Jeweler
- 1939 · Barricade as Colonel Commander of Rescue Party
- 1939 · Daughter of the Tong as Wong
- 1939 · Island of Lost Men as General Ahn Ling
- 1939 · Lady of the Tropics as Delaroch's Chauffeur
- 1939 · Miracles for Sale as Chinese Soldier in Demo
- 1939 · Mr. Wong in Chinatown as Tong Chief
- 1939 · Panama Patrol as Tommy Young
- 1939 · North of Shanghai as Jed's Pilot
- 1938 · Shadows Over Shanghai as Fong
- 1938 · Blondes at Work as Sam Wong (uncredited)
- 1937 · West of Shanghai as Mr. Cheng
- 1937 · The Good Earth as Farmer (uncredited)
- 1937 · The Soldier and the Lady as Tartar (Uncredited)
- 1937 · Lost Horizon as Shanghai Airport Official (uncredited)
- 1936 · Stowaway as Chinese Merchant (uncredited)
- 1936 · Mad Holiday as Li Yat (uncredited)
- 1936 · Roaming Lady as Chinese Seaman
- 1935 · China Seas as Chinese Inspector at Gangplank (uncredited)
- 1935 · Stranded as Chinese Groom (uncredited)
- 1934 · Student Tour as Geisha's Customer
- 1934 · Now and Forever as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
- 1932 · The Bitter Tea of General Yen as Captain Li
- 1932 · The Secrets of Wu Sin as Charlie San