James Hong to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, James Hong, one of the busiest, most prolific actors in Hollywood will be receiving the 2,723rd Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Category of Motion Pictures.

His star will be at 6931 Hollywood Boulevard in front of Madame Tussauds, The event will be live-streamed on www.walkoffame.com.

The ceremony will feature a traditional lion dance, both in honor of Mr. Hong’s Chinese heritage and May being Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Mr. Hong is one of the “founders of the East-West Players, the oldest Asian American theater in Los Angeles. He served as president and charter member of the Association of Asian Pacific American Artists.” He has portrayed Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese characters in his over half century career.

James Hong was born February 22, 1929 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, making him 93 years old.

Movie Roles of Special Interest to SciFi.Radio Fans

Every time you turn around with respect to geek media, James Hong is there somewhere, either portraying some fascinating live action character, or providing his voice to an equally intriguing animated one. With more than 672 credits to his name, this is unsurprising. He’s been in everything.

Mr. Hong co-starred in Blade Runner as Hannibal Chew. He played the mysterious and twisted Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China. In Last Sharknado: It’s About Time, Mr. Hong played Confucious. In the cult classic Colussus: the Forbin Project, Mr. Hong played Dr. Chin. He played Ho Lee in Destination Inner Space, In The Bamboo Saucer he played Sam Archibald. Mr. Hong was Dr. Hong in The Golden Child. In Disney’s Operation Dumbo Drop, Mr. /Hong played Y B’ham. He’s still at it. He appears as Gong Gong, the father of Michelle Yeoh’s character Evelyn Wang, in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, in theaters now.

His voice is as well known as his face. He provided the voice for Mr. Ping, the loving but goofy noodle goose and Po th Panda’s loving foster father in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. He voiced the salt shaker in Disney’s Sherlock Gnomes.

His television performances have ranged from Family Affair and The A-Team to Have Gun Will Travel to Wonder Woman to All in the Family, He appeared in both Kung Fu: the Legend Continues and the original Kung Fu.

Although at 93, most men would think about retiring and taking their sunset years easy, Mr. Hong is still dedicating hiimself to his acting career. His most recent project is Patsy Lee and the Keepers of the Keepers of the Five Kingdoms, a live-action urban fantasy film. He is starring in it, and he co-wrote the script. The film has been in post-production since May of 2021, and there is as yet no release date.

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Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.