George Kuwa


George Kuwa was a Japanese and American Issei film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1916 and 1931. He was the first actor to portray Charlie Chan on-screen in the 1926 film serial The House Without a Key.

Early life

According to contemporaneous reports, Kuwa was born in Hiroshima, Japan on 7 April 1885. His father was a judge and wanted George to follow suit.

Career

Kuwa moved to the U.S. around 1916 or 1917 and began a career in Hollywood. Like many Japanese actors of the era, he often played Chinese characters. He made several films in Japan as well before returning to the U.S.

Death

He died in Los Angeles on 13 October, 1931 at the age of 46.

Partial filmography

The Soul of Kura San The Yellow Pawn The Bottle Imp The Countess Charming Rimrock Jones The Woman in the Web Toby's Bow The Willow Tree Sick Abed The Round-Up Officer 666 Midsummer Madness The Invisible Fear Nobody's Fool Five Days to Live Moran of the Lady Letty Bought and Paid For Sherlock Brown The Half Breed Enter Madame The Beautiful and Damned The World's Applause Daddy The Eternal Struggle The Storm Daughter Curlytop The Man from Wyoming Broken Barriers Oh Doctor! Head Winds A Son of His Father The Enchanted Hill A Trip to Chinatown The Dice Woman The Silver Treasure The Nutcracker That Model from Paris The House Without a Key Melting Millions Perch of the Devil White Pants Willie The Night Bride The Chinese Parrot The Warning The Secret Hour The Showdown Chinatown Charlie After the Storm