Peter Chong (born John Kohnie Kuh, and sometimes credited as Goo Chong or Peter Chong Goe; December 2, 1898 – January 13, 1985) was a Chinese-American character actor who worked in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s.
Biography
Origins Chong was born in 1898 at Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended Oberlin College; he eventually earned a master's degree and a PhD.
Acting career He appeared in a number of Broadway productions and had a vaudeville act before going to Hollywood to work in film. When he arrived in Los Angeles, he was under contract at Warner Brothers. He also worked part-time as an interpreter for the Los Angeles Police Department. For much of his career, he was cast in Japanese, Indonesian, and Hawaiian roles — he didn't play a Chinese role until 1953.
Personal life He and his first wife, Ah He "Soo" Young, had a vaudeville act together. His second marriage was to Eileen Loh, a schoolteacher; they had a daughter together named Molly.
Partial filmography
The Letter (1929) - Servant (uncredited) Mission to Moscow (1943) - Japanese Ambassador Shigemitsu (uncredited) Around the World (1943) - Mr. Wong (uncredited) Up in Arms (1944) - Japanese Lieutenant (uncredited) The Purple Heart (1944) - Mitsuru Toyama Betrayal from the East (1945) - Capt. Yasuda (uncredited) First Yank Into Tokyo (1945) - Dr. Kai Koon (uncredited) The Beginning or the End (1947) - Japanese General (uncredited) Intrigue (1947) - Editor To the Ends of the Earth (1948) - Joe (uncredited) Easter Parade (1948) - Sam - Don's Valet (uncredited) On the Town (1949) - Bartender (uncredited) The Reformer and the Redhead (1950) - Henry - Chinese Cook (uncredited) Francis Goes to the Races (1951) - Wong, Travers' Servant (uncredited) Smuggler's Gold (1951) - Boat Captain (uncredited) Smuggler's Island (1951) - Cajo (uncredited) Peking Express (1951) - Dining Car Steward (uncredited) A Yank in Indo-China (1952) - General Wang The World in His Arms (1952) - Wung Lo (uncredited) Target Hong Kong (1953) - Mandarin (uncredited) Remains to Be Seen (1953) - Ling Tan South Sea Woman (1953) - Woo Ching (uncredited) Torch Song (1953) - Peter Forbidden (1953) - Dr. Sing (uncredited) Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) - Chung (uncredited) Hell and High Water (1954) - Japanese Eddy (uncredited) The Left Hand of God (1955) - Fen Tso Lin - Merchant (uncredited) Tribute to a Bad Man (1956) - Cooky The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) - Yang This Earth Is Mine (1959) - Chu The Mountain Road (1960) - Chinese Colonel
References