James Hong - Details

Biography

James HongWith over 450 film and television credits, JAMES HONG is probably one of the most recognizable faces in the entertainment industry.

Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota but spent part of his childhood in Hong Kong. With the outbreak of World War II, he returned to Minneapolis at the age of 10. He became interested in drama in junior high school but he majored in civil engineering at the University of Minnesota to please his parents.

A standup comedian for a while, as part of the comedy team Hong and Parker, Hong finished his college education at the University of Southern California and became a road engineer with the County of Los Angeles. That lasted only one year. In 1955, he took up acting full time. His first movie was "Soldier of Fortune," with Clark Gable, followed by "Blood Alley," with John Wayne, and "Love is a Many Splendored Thing," with William Holden.

His television credits run the gamut from heavy drama to high comedy and include roles in such series as "The West Wing," "The X-Files," "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "Chicago Hope" as well as "I Dream of Jeannie," "Here's Lucy," "Have Gun, Will Travel" and many others.

Hong is one of the founders of the East-West Players, the oldest Asian-American theatre in Los Angeles, and was the president and charter member of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists, an advocacy and production group.

Events

  • 22nd February 1929 - Birth