James Hong. It’s a name you might or might not be familiar with, but without a doubt, you’ve seen one (if not more) of the projects he’s been in over his several decades’ long career.
The 91-year-old actor is believed to have the most amount of credits out of any actor, living or dead. If you’re wondering by how many, I’m talking about a whopping 672 total; 469 TV shows, 149 feature films, 32 short films, and 22 video games. Titles accredited to his name include “Blade Runner,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” and for the younger generations, “Mulan” and the “Kung Fu Panda” films.
While Hong is clearly a person who doesn’t easily say no to the opportunities that come to him, that doesn’t mean he as an Asian American actor wasn’t aware that some of the roles he took on were problematic. In fact, it’s because of the limited opportunities and the stereotypes that he along with other Asian American actors at the time co-founded East West Players in Los Angeles.
There’s just so much to say about this man, which is why it’s worth reading his life story in an article that came out about him earlier this week on CNN.
Once you’re done with that, if you’re in the position to do so, I hope you’ll consider donating to this fundraiser actor Daniel Dae Kim put together, to raise funds for Hong to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For those wondering, “Why do you need to raise money for that? Isn’t that something they just give to you?” That’s what I originally thought, until last night when I watched a livestream that Kim was in attendance of and explained it in more detail. Apparently, the person whose name is on the star is the one who has to fork over $50,000 for it. Yeah, it’s weird.
So this really is a grassroots effort to make this happen for someone who 100% deserves it. The fundraiser was created just a few days ago and is already about halfway to its goal. Again, if you are able to, please consider donating to this if you can.
Lola By The Bay 