Monday, February 22, 2016

Happy Birthday, James Hong!


James Hong is a familiar face to almost anyone who watched science fiction and action movies in the 1980s and 90s.

He was born on February 22nd, 1929 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and studied civil engineering at the University of Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Southern California and worked briefly as a road engineer with the County of Los Angeles. He used sick leaves and vacation time to do films before quitting to be a full-time actor. At one point he was in the running to play the role of Mr. Sulu on Star Trek, but the role eventually went to George Takei.


With over 400 credits to his name, his body of work includes favorites of mine such as Blade Runner, Big Trouble In Little China, and many which fall under the category of guilty pleasures for me.

James Hong is also one of the founders of the East-West Players, the oldest Asian American theater in Los Angeles. He also served as president and charter member of the Association of Asian Pacific American Artists. Be sure to check out his IMDB credits and see some of the fun work he's been a part of.



Also, recently, the second volume of the Big Trouble in Little China comic book series has come out, with the plot described as "Lo Pan has been resurrected! To say he is in a bad mood would be putting it lightly. He has just come from the Hell of Those Killed by Idiots, the lowest rung of the ladder when it comes to honorable Hells, and for a sorcerer warlord like Lo Pan, it’s the worst humiliation imaginable! Worse than that, the body of flesh and blood that he waited thousands of years for has been taken from him and he once again is a lost spirit unable to partake in earthly pleasures. Jack Burton must pay!"


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