Richard Loo
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 1, 1903
- Died
- November 20, 1983 (aged 80)
- Birthplace
- Maui, Hawaii, USA
Biography
Richard Loo (October 1, 1903 – November 20, 1983) was an American film actor who was one of the most familiar Asian character actors in American films of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1982. Chinese by ancestry and Hawaiian by birth, Loo spent his youth in Hawaii, then moved to California as a teenager. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and began a career in business. The stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent economic depression forced Loo to start over. He became involved with amateur, then professional, theater companies and in 1931 made his first film. Like most Asian actors in non-Asian countries, he played primarily small, stereotypical roles, though he rose quickly to familiarity, if not fame, in a number of films. His stern features led him to be a favorite movie villain, and the outbreak of World War II gave him greater prominence in roles as vicious Japanese soldiers in such successful pictures as The Purple Heart (1944) and God Is My Co-Pilot (1945). Loo was most often typecast as the Japanese enemy pilot, spy or interrogator during World War II. In the film The Purple Heart he plays a Japanese Imperial Army general who commits suicide because he cannot break down the American prisoners. According to his daughter, Beverly Jane Loo, he didn't mind being typecast as a villain in these movies as he felt very patriotic about playing those parts. In 1944 he appeared as a Chinese army lieutenant opposite Gregory Peck in The Keys of the Kingdom. He had a rare heroic role as a war-weary Japanese-American soldier in Samuel Fuller's Korean War classic The Steel Helmet (1951), but he spent much of the latter part of his career performing stock roles in films and minor television roles. In 1974 he appeared as the Thai billionaire tycoon Hai Fat in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, opposite Roger Moore and Christopher Lee. Loo was also a teacher of Shaolin monks in three episodes of the 1972–1975 hit TV series Kung Fu and made a further three appearances as a different character. His last acting appearance was in The Incredible Hulk TV series in 1981, but he continued to act in Toyota commercials into 1982. Loo died of a cerebral hemorrhage on November 20, 1983, age 80. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]
Known For
Photos
Filmography
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
Movie · as Sgt. Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Incredible Hulk
TV · 1 ep
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
TV · 1 ep
Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur
Movie · as Chiang-Kai-Shek
The Man with the Golden Gun
Movie · as Hai Fat
Police Story
TV · 1 ep
Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, the Sign of the Dragon
Movie · as Master Sun
Kung Fu
TV · as Master Sun, Ho Fai, The Weapons Master · 4 eps
Delphi Bureau
TV · as Shen Si · 1 ep
Chandler
Movie · as Leo
One More Train to Rob
Movie · as Mr. Chang
McCloud
TV · as Y.S. Chen (uncredited) · 1 ep
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
Movie · as Kenji Yamashita
Hawaii Five-O
TV · as Wong Tou · 1 ep
The Dick Cavett Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The Sand Pebbles
Movie · as Major Chin
Family Affair
TV · 1 ep
I Dream of Jeannie
TV · as Wong · 1 ep
The Wild Wild West
TV · 1 ep
Honey West
TV · as Tog - Chinese Fine Arts Thief · 1 ep
Bewitched
TV · 1 ep
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
TV · as Dr. Yahama · 1 ep
Burke's Law
TV · as Grass Slipper · 1 ep
The Dakotas
TV · 1 ep
The Outer Limits
TV · as Li-Chin Sung · 1 ep
Confessions of an Opium Eater
Movie · as George Wah
A Girl Named Tamiko
Movie · as Otani
Diamond Head
Movie · as Yamagata (uncredited)
The Beachcomber
TV · as Ah Wei · 1 ep
My Three Sons
TV · 1 ep
Hong Kong
TV · as Leo · 1 ep
The Scavengers
Movie
Bonanza
TV · as General Mu Tsung · 1 ep
The Quiet American
Movie · as Mr. Heng
Hong Kong Affair
Movie · as Li Noon
Battle Hymn
Movie · as Gen. Kim (scenes deleted)
Perry Mason
TV · as Mr. Eng · 1 ep
Maverick
TV · 1 ep
Around the World in 80 Days
Movie · as Saloon Manager (uncredited)
The Conqueror
Movie · as Captain of Wang's guard
The Man Called X
TV · 1 ep
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Movie · as Robert Hung
House of Bamboo
Movie · as Inspector Kito's Voice (voice) (uncredited)
Soldier of Fortune
Movie · as Gen. Po Lin
Navy Log
TV · 1 ep
Crossroads
TV · as Colonel · 1 ep
Hell and High Water
Movie · as Hakada Fujimori
The Bamboo Prison
Movie · as Commandant Hsai Tung
The Shanghai Story
Movie · as Officer
Living It Up
Movie · as Dr. Lee
December Bride
TV · 1 ep
Target Hong Kong
Movie · as Fu Chao
China Venture
Movie · as Chang Sung
Destination Gobi
Movie · as Commanding Officer, Japanese POW Camp (uncredited)
5 Fingers
Movie
Cavalcade of America
TV · as Ho Chung · 1 ep
Four Star Playhouse
TV · as Jo-Kai · 1 ep
The Steel Helmet
Movie · as Sergeant Tanaka
I Was an American Spy
Movie · as Col. Masamato
The Colgate Comedy Hour
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Clay Pigeon
Movie · as Ken Tokoyama
Malaya
Movie · as Colonel Genichi Tomura
State Department: File 649
Movie · as Marshal Yun Usu
Women in the Night
Movie · as Colonel Noyama
To the Ends of the Earth
Movie · as Commissioner Lu (uncredited)
Rogues' Regiment
Movie · as Kao Pang
The Cobra Strikes
Movie · as Hyder Ali
Half Past Midnight
Movie · as Lee Gow
Studio One
TV · 1 ep
Seven Were Saved
Movie · as Colonel Yamura
Web of Danger
Movie · as Wing
Beyond Our Own
Movie · as James Wong
Tokyo Rose
Movie · as Colonel Suzuki
Betrayal from the East
Movie · as Lt. Cmdr. Miyazaki, alias Tani
Back to Bataan
Movie · as Maj. Hasko
First Yank into Tokyo
Movie · as Col. Hideko Okanura
Prison Ship
Movie · as Capt. Okisawa
China Sky
Movie · as Col. Yasuda
China's Little Devils
Movie · as Colonel Huraji
God Is My Co-Pilot
Movie · as Tokyo Joe
The Purple Heart
Movie · as General Ito Mitsubi
The Keys of the Kingdom
Movie · as Lt. Shon
The Story of Dr. Wassell
Movie · as Chinese Doctor on Train (uncredited)
The Falcon Strikes Back
Movie · as Jerry
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
Movie
Flight for Freedom
Movie · as Mr. Yokahata (uncredited)
China
Movie · as Lin Yun
Behind the Rising Sun
Movie · as Japanese Officer Dispensing Opium
Destroyer
Movie · as Japanese Submarine Commander
So Proudly We Hail
Movie · as Japanese Radio Announcer (Voice) (Uncredited)
Yanks Ahoy
Movie · as Japanese Submarine Officer (uncredited)
Star Spangled Rhythm
Movie · as Emperor Hirohito (uncredited)
Across the Pacific
Movie · as First Officer Miyuma
Wake Island
Movie
Road to Morocco
Movie · as Chinese Announcer (uncredited)
Secret of the Wastelands
Movie · as Quan
The Fatal Hour
Movie · as Jeweler
Doomed to Die
Movie · as Tong Leader
North of Shanghai
Movie · as Jed's Pilot
Daughter of the Tong
Movie · as Wong
Panama Patrol
Movie · as Tommy Young
Mr. Wong in Chinatown
Movie · as Tong Chief
Miracles for Sale
Movie · as Chinese Soldier in Demo
Lady of the Tropics
Movie · as Delaroch's Chauffeur
Barricade
Movie · as Colonel Commander of Rescue Party
Island of Lost Men
Movie · as General Ahn Ling
Shadows Over Shanghai
Movie · as Fong
Blondes at Work
Movie · as Sam Wong (uncredited)
Too Hot to Handle
Movie · as Charlie (uncredited)
The Good Earth
Movie · as Farmer (uncredited)
Lost Horizon
Movie · as Shanghai Airport Official (uncredited)
West of Shanghai
Movie · as Mr. Cheng
The Soldier and the Lady
Movie · as Tartar (Uncredited)
That Certain Woman
Movie · as Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Stowaway
Movie · as Chinese Merchant (uncredited)
Roaming Lady
Movie · as Chinese Seaman
Mad Holiday
Movie · as Li Yat (uncredited)
Shadow of Chinatown
Movie
China Seas
Movie · as Chinese Inspector at Gangplank (uncredited)
Stranded
Movie · as Chinese Groom (uncredited)
Now and Forever
Movie · as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Student Tour
Movie · as Geisha's Customer
The Bitter Tea of General Yen
Movie · as Captain Li
The Secrets of Wu Sin
Movie · as Charlie San
War Correspondent
Movie · as Bandit (uncredited)