Peter Chong (actor)


Peter Chong was a Chinese-American character actor who worked in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s.

Biography

Origins

Chong was born in 1898 at Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended Oberlin College; he eventually earned a master's degree and a PhD.

Acting career

He appeared in a number of Broadway productions and had a vaudeville act before going to Hollywood to work in film. When he arrived in Los Angeles, he was under contract at Warner Brothers. He also worked part-time as an interpreter for the Los Angeles Police Department. For much of his career, he was cast in Japanese, Indonesian, and Hawaiian roles — he didn't play a Chinese role until 1953.

Personal life

He and his first wife, Ah He "Soo" Young, had a vaudeville act together. His second marriage was to Eileen Loh, a schoolteacher; they had a daughter together named Molly.

Partial filmography