James Hong.Photo: Kelsey McNeal/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
James Hongis a living Hollywood legend.
“But look at us now, huh?” he added, as the crowd cheered.
Read on to learn more about the prolific actor, who boasts more than 600 credits to his name.
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James Hong in a scene fromThe Carey Treatment(1972).Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty
Hong was born on Feb. 22, 1929, in Minneapolis to Frank W. Hong and Lee Shui Fa, who immigrated from the United States from China. According toan IMDb biography, Hong initially studied civil engineering at the University of Minnesota, but eventually quit his job as a Los Angeles city engineer to pursue acting full time.
According to his IMDb biography, Hong is one of the founders of theEast-West Players, the oldest Asian American theater in Los Angeles. He has also served as president and a charter member of the Association of Asian Pacific American Artists, per IMDb.
The actor has been married twice: first to Pearl Huang, whom he divorced in 1973 after nearly six years of marriage, and then to current wifeSusan Hong, with whom he tied the knot in 1977. He and Susan, 70, share daughterApril Hong, 44, who is an actress.
Despite racking up hundreds of acting credits since beginning his Hollywood career in the early 1950s, Hong had yet to secure a star on the notableHollywood Walk of Fameas of 2020. (He was later made theoldest person to accept the honor, during hisceremony in May 2022.)
RELATED VIDEO: James Hong Comments on Lack of Asian Actors During SAG 2023 Win: “Look at Us Now!”
Back in August 2020,Daniel Dae Kimstarted a fundraising campaign to get Hong a star, calling him “the most prolific actor in Hollywood history.”
“This man epitomizes the term ‘working actor,’ and that’s not even taking into account all he’s done to help further representation for actors of color,” Kim, 54, wrote in the description on hisGoFundMe, which ended up raising more than $55,000.
“It’s time James Hong was honored in the way he deserves, and it’s time to show him how much he -and all the actors of color of earlier generations - have done to pave the way for us today,” the formerHawaii Five-0star concluded.
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Michelle Yeoh,Ke Huy QuanandJamie Lee Curtisall won individual acting trophies at theSAG Awardson Sunday, but Yeoh, 60, made sure to acknowledge Hong on stage as the actors accepted their collective honor for the biggest award of the night.
RELATED VIDEO: Stars Celebrate Their SAG Wins
After reflecting on getting his SAG card 70 years ago, Hong went on to joke about Curtis’s name — “We are not all Chinese but Jamie Lee, Lee is a good Chinese name” — before acknowledging others who played a role in theEverything Everywhere All At Once’s success, including the Daniels directors (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) and a “bald guy” producer.
“SAG is a wonderful organization,” Hong added.
The 2023SAG Awardsceremony aired live onNetflix’s YouTube Channel Sunday night from the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
source: people.com
