James Hong is an American actor, voice actor, writer, producer, and director who has a net worth of $3 million. James Hong has had a long acting career spanning more than 60 years with hundreds of roles in film, television and even video games. He is the former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists (AAPAA). Hong’s show business career began in the ’50s when he redubbed soundtracks of several Asian films. Between 1956 and 1965, he appeared in such shows as a western aviation adventure series (Sky King), the TV show “The New Adventures of Charlie Chan,” Walt Disney’s ABC series “Zorro,” and CBS’s “Perry Mason.” James is perhaps most widely known as the immortal ghost sorcerer in John Carpenter’s 1986 cult classic “Big Trouble in Little China.” Hong has appeared in many other popular shows, a few of which are “The West Wing,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Alias,” and “Friends.” He is also known for his voice artistry in various media formats, and has written, directed, or produced films such as “Teen Lust” (1978) and “Man of a Thousand Faces” (2024). In 2022, James played Gong Gong in the Academy Award-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
James Hong was born on February 22, 1929, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents, Lee Suey Far and Ng Fok Hong, immigrated to Chicago, Illinois, from Hong Kong, and they later relocated to Minneapolis. There, Hong’s father owned an herb shop and led the local chapter of the labor organization Hip Sing Tong. As a child, James traveled to Hong for his education, then he returned to the U.S. when he was 10 years old, later graduating from Minneapolis Central High School. During a 2020 interview with CBS News, Hong stated, “I think my class was, you know, probably 500 kids. I was the only Asian student. So, the bullies would pick on me and beat me up so because, you know, bullies are bullies, right? They’ll pick on the underdog.” James became interested in the performing arts after he saw Peking opera performers rehearsing at his father’s herb shop. After graduating from high school, Hong enrolled at the University of Minnesota, where he studied civil engineering. While he was a student, he joined the Minnesota Army National Guard, and his unit was mobilized and sent to Alabama for training during the Korean War. James spent 18 months training with the Special Services, and after he was done with his training each day, he entertained the soldiers. As a result, the camp general recruited him to be in charge of the live shows at Camp Rucker instead of deploying Hong overseas.
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In 1953, Hong moved to Los Angeles with a friend and earned his degree from the University of Southern California. He began working as a road engineer for L.A. County, and in his free time, he took part in acting projects. After more than five years, he quit his job to devote more time to his acting career. In the ’50s, James had uncredited roles in several films and guest-starred on shows such as “Crusader” (1956), “Flight” (1958), “Dragnet” (1958), “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin” (1959), and “Zorro” (1959). From 1957 to 1958, he played Barry Chan on the syndicated series “The New Adventures of Charlie Chan.” The 1960s saw Hong appear in the films “Flower Drum Song” (1961), “The Satan Bug” (1965), “One Spy Too Many” (1966), “Destination Inner Space” (1966), “The Sand Pebbles” (1966), and “The Bamboo Saucer” (1968) and play recurring roles on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (1965–1966), “The Wackiest Ship in the Army” (1965–1966), “I Spy” (1965–1967), and “Hawaii Five-O” (1969–1974). From 1972 to 1975, he appeared in nine episodes of “Kung Fu,” and around this time, he was in the films “The Hawaiians” (1970), “Dynamite Brothers” (1974), “Chinatown” (1974), “The Missiles of October” (1974), “China Girl” (1975), “Bound for Glory” (1976), and “The In-Laws” (1979).
Next, James appeared in popular films such as “Airplane!” (1980), “Blade Runner” (1982), “Big Trouble in Little China” (1986), and “Tango & Cash” (1989) and had recurring roles as Dr. Chen Ling on “Dynasty” (1983) and Charles Fong on “Falcon Crest” (1983). He starred in more than 30 films in the ’90s, including “The Two Jakes” (1990), “The Perfect Weapon” (1991), “Body Trouble” (1992), “Wayne’s World 2” (1993), “Tank Girl” (1995), “Operation Dumbo Drop” (1995), “Bloodsport III” (1997), and “Breakout” (1998), and he voiced Chi-Fu in the 1998 animated Disney film “Mulan.” From 2002 to 2004, he provided the voice of Daolon Wong on “Jackie Chan Adventures.” Hong then appeared in films such as “Forbidden Warrior” (2005), “Shanghai Kiss” (2007), “Balls of Fury” (2007), “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (2008), “Safe” (2012), “R.I.P.D.” (2013), “Fortune Cookie” (2016), and “Grand-Daddy Day Care” (2019). He voiced Mr. Ping in the animated films “Kung Fu Panda” (2008), “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011), “Kung Fu Panda 3” (2016), and “Kung Fu Panda 4” (2024), the short film “Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll” (2016), and the television series “Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny” (2018–2019) and “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” (2022–2023), and he also lent his voice to 2022’s “Turning Red.” In 2022, he played Gong Gong in the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” alongside Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film grossed $143.4 million at the box office and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
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James married Pearl Huang on May 9, 1967. They divorced in April 1973, then Hong wed Susan Tong on October 20, 1977. James and Susan have welcomed three daughters together. Hong follows the Presbyterian religion, and during his youth, his family attended the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. In 2020, actor Daniel Dae Kim launched a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to get James a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The campaign was successful, and Hong received his star in May 2022 at the age of 93, making him the oldest person to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2007, Hong was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards. In 2009, James earned an Annie Award nomination for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature for “Kung Fu Panda.” He was nominated in that category for “Kung Fu Panda 2” in 2012, and he won for Best Voice Acting in a Television Production for “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” in 2011. In 2012, Hong received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.” In 2022, he shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture and a Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Cast Ensemble with his “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-stars. That year James also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and won an Icon Award for Asian Pacific Cinema and Television at the Critics Choice Awards Celebration of Cinema & Television.
In July 2009, Hong paid $721,000 for a 1,437-square-foot condo in Los Angeles. The home includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
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