Willie Fung

Willie Fung (3 March 1896 – 16 April 1945) was a Chinese-American character actor who played supporting roles in 125 American films from 1922 to 1944. Like many Chinese actors working in Hollywood during the era, he often played Japanese characters.

Biography Fung was born in Canton during the waning years of the Qing Dynasty. He made a name for himself as an actor on the stage in San Francisco. After moving to Los Angeles after his uncle's peanut While maintaining his acting career, he ran his own Chinese restaurant: New Moon Café in East Hollywood.

Fung died of a coronary occlusion in Los Angeles on April 16, 1945 at the age of 49. He is buried in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Career Willie Fung experienced racist typecasting throughout his career. As reported by American media historian Hal Erickson, "Chinese character actor Willie Fung spent his entire Hollywood career imprisoned by the Hollywood Stereotype Syndrome...Fung was the personification of the 'Yellow Peril' [...] buck-toothed, pigtailed, pidgin-English-spouting comedy relief."

Despite being in 125 films over the course of 22 years of acting, his efforts were unappreciated during his time due to racism, and afterwards by critics and historians for having played racially stereotyped roles.

Partial filmography Year Title Role Notes 1922 Hurricane's Gal Sing 1922 Broken Chains Chinese Man Uncredited 1923 Thundergate Minor Role Uncredited 1923 Her Temporary Husband Uncredited 1924 The Breaking Point Chinese Cook Uncredited 1924 The Iron Horse Chinaman Uncredited 1924 Thundering Hoofs Cook Uncredited 1926 The Blackbird Chinese Man Uncredited 1926 Chip of the Flying U Chinese Cook Uncredited 1926 The Two-Gun Man Quong 1926 The Road to Mandalay Man in Bar Uncredited 1926 The Blackbird Chinese Man Uncredited 1926 The Yellow Back Chinese 1926 Twinkletoes Chinaman Uncredited 1926 Tell It to the Marines Guard at door of besieged clinic Uncredited 1927 Whispering Smith Rides Wong 1927 Old San Francisco Chang Sue Lee's laughing servant Uncredited 1928 The Way of the Strong Chinese Cook Uncredited 1929 Chinatown Nights One of Riley's Henchmen Uncredited 1929 The Far Call Wing 1929 Where East Is East Servant Uncredited 1929 The Black Book Tin Lung Serial 1929 The Delightful Rogue Hi Lee (the cook) Uncredited 1929 The Virginian Hong Uncredited 1929 Shanghai Lady Bill Collector Uncredited 1930 The Lone Star Ranger The Barber Uncredited 1930 The Ship from Shanghai Shanghai Nightclub Patron Uncredited 1930 Dangerous Paradise Wang Alternative title: Two Against Death 1930 The Bad One Uncredited 1930 Shadow Ranch Camp Cook Uncredited 1930 The Sea God Sin Lee 1930 River's End Eskimo Uncredited 1931 Gun Smoke Wong 1931 Three Girls Lost Chinese Headwaiter Uncredited 1931 Night Nurse Hospital Patient Uncredited 1931 Chinatown After Dark Ling Chi Uncredited 1931 West of Broadway Wing, the cook 1932 Union Depot Chinese Man Uncredited 1932 Panama Flo Bartender at Sadie's Place Uncredited 1932 Shanghai Express Train Engineer Uncredited 1932 The Hatchet Man Notary Fung Loo / Bomb maker Uncredited 1932 Carnival Boat Chino Uncredited 1932 The Mouthpiece Chinese Waiter Uncredited 1932 Roar of the Dragon Chinese Sailor with Rifle Uncredited 1932 The Painted Woman Dealer Uncredited 1932 One Way Passage Hong Kong curio dealer Uncredited 1932 Red Dust Hoy 1932 The Mask of Fu Manchu Ship's Steward Uncredited 1932 Self Defense Charlie 1932 The Son-Daughter Chinese Merchant Uncredited 1933 The Bitter Tea of General Yen Officer Uncredited 1933 The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble Ah Chung Uncredited 1933 The Thrill Hunter Wong, the Cook 1933 Cocktail Hour Mori Uncredited 1933 Don't Bet on Love Charley Lee Uncredited 1933 The Narrow Corner Ah Kay, Saunder's Servant 1933 Tugboat Annie Chow, the Cook Uncredited 1933 Ladies Must Love Mr. Wong Uncredited 1933 Meet the Baron Chinese Man Uncredited 1934 Gambling Lady Ching - Syndicate Board Member Uncredited 1934 Crime Doctor Wah-Sing Uncredited 1934 You Belong to Me Waiter Uncredited 1934 A Lost Lady Forrester's cook 1934 Happiness Ahead Chinese Headwaiter Uncredited 1934 I Sell Anything Charlie Uncredited 1934 Gunfire Camp Cook 1934 Red Morning Ship's Steward 1934 Sequoia Sang Soo 1935 Ruggles of Red Gap Willie - Chinese Servant Uncredited 1935 Rocky Mountain Mystery Ling Yat 1935 Chinatown Squad Driver Uncredited 1935 Oil for the Lamps of China Kin 1935 Shanghai Wang Credited as Willy Fung 1935 Hop-Along Cassidy Salem 1935 China Seas Cabin Boy Ah Sing Uncredited 1935 One-Way Ticket Wing 1936 Call of the Prairie Wong 1936 Small Town Girl So-So Alternative title: One Horse Town 1936 Yellowstone Chinese Cook Uncredited 1936 The General Died at Dawn Bartender 1936 White Hunter Wong 1936 Happy Go Lucky Coolie Fisherman 1936 Stowaway Chang 1936 College Holiday Chinese Man in Junk Uncredited 1937 We Who Are About to Die Kwong 1937 Secret Valley Tabasco the Cook 1937 Lost Horizon Bandit Leader at fuel stop-over Uncredited 1937 Git Along Little Dogies Sing Low 1937 Top of the Town Prop Man Uncredited 1937 Come on, Cowboys Fong 1937 Wee Willie Winkie Mohammet Dihn 1937 The Red Rope Lee Chin the Cook Uncredited 1937 The Big Shot Wu Ping - the Dry Cleaner Uncredited 1937 Jungle Menace Chiang-Houseboy Serial 1937 The Trigger Trio Ranch Cook 1937 Wells Fargo Wang - MacKay's Servant Uncredited 1938 International Settlement Chinese Bartender Uncredited 1938 Border Wolves Ling Wong 1938 Sinners in Paradise Ping Alternative title: Secrets of a Sinner 1938 Pride of the West Sing Loo Uncredited 1938 The Road to Reno Lame Duck Alternative titles: The Lady and the RangerThe Ranger and the Lady 1938 Too Hot to Handle Willie 1939 Honolulu Wong 1939 Nancy Drew... Reporter Mandarin Cafe Proprietor Uncredited 1939 The Gracie Allen Murder Case Houseboy Uncredited 1939 6,000 Enemies Wang 1939 The Girl and the Gambler Yen, the Chinese Laundryman Uncredited 1939 Maisie Lee 1939 Lady of the Tropics Ling Uncredited 1939 Hawaiian Nights Murphy 1939 Hollywood Cavalcade Willie 1939 Barricade Yen - Cady's Major Domo 1940 Viva Cisco Kid Houseboy Wang Uncredited 1940 Buck Benny Rides Again Chinese Cook Uncredited 1940 The Great Profile Confucius 1940 Seven Sinner Charlie, Shopkeeper Uncredited 1940 The Letter Chung Hi 1941 Saddle Mountain Roundup Fang Way 1941 Badlands of Dakota Wong Lee Uncredited 1941 Burma Convoy Smitty 1941 The Gay Falcon Jerry 1941 Public Enemies Lee Hong Alternative title: Gangs of the City 1942 North to the Klondike Waterlily 1942 Captains of the Clouds Willie 1942 The Tuttles of Tahiti Creditor Uncredited 1942 Tarzan's New York Adventure Sun Lee, the Chinese Tailor Uncredited 1942 A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen Chinese Waiter Uncredited 1942 The Spoilers Chinese Man in Jail Cell Uncredited 1942 Meet the Stewarts Wong the Cook Uncredited 1942 Tortilla Flat Chin Kee, Fisherman Uncredited 1942 Halfway to Shanghai Mr. Wu 1942 Flying Tigers Jim 'Gin' Sling - Waiter Uncredited 1942 Destination Unknown Farmer 1942 The Moon and Sixpence Tiara's Chinese Cook Uncredited 1942 Seven Days' Leave Les Brown's Houseboy Uncredited 1942 The Black Swan Chinese Cook Uncredited 1943 They Got Me Covered Chinese Laundry Man Uncredited 1944 The Adventures of Mark Twain Chinese Man Uncredited