Benson Fong

Benson Fong (; October 10, 1916 – August 1, 1987) was an American character actor.

Born in Sacramento, California, Fong was from a mercantile family of Chinese extraction. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, he studied briefly in China before returning to Sacramento and opening a grocery store with a cousin.

Career

Fong's acting career resulted from a chance meeting with a Hollywood talent scout. In 1943, while having dinner with some friends in Sacramento, he was approached by a man from Paramount Pictures, who asked if he would like to be in a movie. Fong ended up with a role in a film called China starring Loretta Young and Alan Ladd. He was also offered a 10-week contract for $250 a week.

"It looked like a tremendous fortune and I accepted quickly, afraid they might think twice and back out," he told an interviewer. "I couldn't read lines too well, but World War II was under way and all the studios were looking for actors with Oriental features. I bicycled around from one set to another, playing a Japanese here, a Filipino there, a Chinese on still other days."

The next year, he played one of the sons in Charlie Chan in the Secret Service. Other films in which he appeared included Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, The Keys of the Kingdom, His Majesty O'Keefe, Flower Drum Song, Our Man Flint, and The Strongest Man in the World.

First appearing onscreen in Charlie Chan at the Opera as an extra, he returned to the series and is best remembered playing Number Three Son "Tommy Chan" opposite Sidney Toler in six Charlie Chan movies between 1944 and 1946, replacing Victor Sen Yung's Number Two Son, Jimmy.

His later career as an actor included numerous TV appearances in both series and movies. Fong made four guest appearances on Perry Mason, seven on My Three Sons as Ray Wong, and four on Kung Fu. Additionally, he played The Old One in the 1986 TV movie Kung Fu:The Movie.

He played 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.

Later in life, Fong became a successful restaurateur and opened several Ah Fong (亞方)

Filmography

Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936) .... Opera Supernumerary (uncredited) The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938, Serial) .... Gehorda outlaw (Ch. 9 Attack from the Skies) (uncredited) China (1943) .... Guerilla (uncredited) Behind the Rising Sun (1943) .... Japanese Officer with message (uncredited) Destroyer (1943) Japanese sonar operator (uncredited) Destination Tokyo (1943) .... Japanese (uncredited) Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944) .... Tommy Chan Up in Arms (1944) .... Japanese sentry (uncredited) The Purple Heart (1944) .... Moy Ling (uncredited) Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat (1944) .... Tommy Chan Dragon Seed (1944) .... Student (uncredited) Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) .... Young Dr. Chung The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) .... Joseph China Sky (1945) .... Chung The Scarlet Clue (1945) .... Tommy Chan Back to Bataan (1945) .... Officer making broadcast (uncredited) Nob Hill (1945) .... Chinese servant (uncredited) Secret Agent X-9 (1945 serial) .... Dr. Hakahima The Shanghai Cobra (1945) .... Tommy Chan First Yank Into Tokyo (1945) .... Capt. Tanahe The Red Dragon (1945) .... Tommy Chan Dark Alibi (1946) .... Tommy Chan Deception (1946) .... Jimmy – Hollenius' servant Calcutta (1947) .... Young Chinese clerk Women in the Night (1948) .... Chang Hazard (1948) .... Houseboy (uncredited) Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture (1949) .... Ah Hing – Wong's salesclerk (uncredited) Chinatown at Midnight (1949) .... Joe Wing Three Husbands (1951) .... George the butler (uncredited) Korea Patrol (1951) .... Kim – South Korean scout Peking Express (1951) .... Wong Katie Did It (1951) .... Lahoo (uncredited) Submarine Command (1952) .... Major Kim (uncredited) Back at the Front (1952) .... Rickshaw boy His Majesty O'Keefe (1954) .... Mr. Chou Dragonfly Squadron (1954) .... Capt. Liehtse The Left Hand of God (1955) .... Chun Tien (husband of dying woman) Conquest of Space (1955) .... Imoto The Scarlet Hour (1956)....Benson (uncredited) Five Gates to Hell (1959) .... Gung Sa Walk Like a Dragon (1960) .... Wu Flower Drum Song (1961) .... Wang Chi-Yang Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) .... Kin Yung Our Man Flint (1966) .... Dr. Schneider The Love Bug (1968) .... Mr. Tang Wu Charley Varrick (1973) .... Honest John A Time for Love (1974) He Is My Brother (1975) .... Kiko The Strongest Man in the World (1975) .... Ah Fong Oliver's Story (1978) .... John Hsiang S.O.B. (1981) .... Chef Jinxed! (1982) .... Dr. Wing

Television

Lux Video Theatre – "The Bachelor of Grandby Oaks", 1954 .... Alexander Navy Log – "Operation Typewriter", 1956 .... Colonel Huam Crossroads – "The Inner Light", 1956 .... Po Ling Crusader – "Pressure", 1956 .... Dr. Chen Perry Mason – Gow Loong in "The Case of the Empty Tin", 1958; James Hing in "The Case of the Caretaker's Cat", 1959; Itsubi Nogata in "The Case of the Blushing Pearls", 1959; Oolong Kim in "The Case of the Waylaid Wolf", 1961 Death Valley Days – "Sam Kee and Uncle Sam", 1959 .... Sam Kee The Islanders – "The Generous Politician", 1960 .... O'Hara Have Gun - Will Travel – "The Hatchet Man", 1960 .... Det. Joe Tsin Hong Kong – "With Deadly Sorrow", 1961.... Lee-Po Bonanza – uncredited in "Day of the Dragon", 1961; Na Shan in "A Pink Cloud Comes from Old Cathay", 1964 The Beachcomber – "The Brooch", 1962 .... Ah Ling Bachelor Father – "The Twain Shall Meet", 1962 .... Mr. Chang My Three Sons – seven episodes, 1963–1969 .... Ray Wong Ben Casey – "No More, Cried the Rooster-There Will be Truth", 1965 .... Mr. Lee The Wild Wild West – "The Night the Dragon Screamed", 1966 .... Mo Ti The FBI – "The Hiding Place", 1966 .... Dr. Leonard Shigetsu Dundee and the Culhane – "The Vasquez Brief", 1967 I Spy – "An American Empress", 1967 .... Cheng Family Affair – Paul Chang in "The Great Kow-Tow", 1968; Eng Ho in "Number One Boy", 1969; and "Eastward Ho", 1970 It Takes a Thief – "Mad in Japan", 1969 .... Dr. Takita Mission: Impossible – "Butterfly", 1970 .... Inspector Akita Travis Logan, D.A. 1971, TV movie .... Alfred Ling Bewitched – "Sam's Witchcraft Blows a Fuse", 1972 .... Mr. Fong The Smith Family – "San Francisco Cop", 1972 .... Frank Low Kung Fu – Han Fei in "Pilot", 1972; Soong in "Blood Brother", 1973; Sorcerer Liu in "The Brujo", 1973; Li Yu in "The Vanishing Image", 1974 Ironside – "Terror on Grant Avenue", 1974 .... Henry Wing Police Story – "Year of the Dragon Parts I & II", 1975 .... William Liu Harry O – "Forbidden City", 1976 .... Soong Kee The Amazing Spider-Man – "The Chinese Web Parts I & II", 1979 .... Min Lo Chan Moonlight – 1982, TV movie .... Clifford Wu TJ Hooker – "Chinatown", 1983 .... Lee Chan The Glitter Dome – 1984, HBO movie .... Wing Crazy Like a Fox – "Year of the Fox", 1985 .... Harry Woo Kung Fu:The Movie – 1986, TV movie .... The Old One (final film role)