Ric Young is a Malaysian-born British character actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. Zhang Lee in the TV series Alias (2001–04)[1][2] and as the henchman Kao Kan in the Steven Spielberg film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.[3]

Ric Young
Born
Wing-Wah Yung

1944
OccupationActor

Early life edit

Young was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1944 as Wing-Wah Yung.[4] He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art[5] and then moved to Los Angeles to study method acting under Shelley Winters and Lee Strasberg.

Career edit

Actor edit

At 12 years old, Young took part in radio sketches in Kuala Lumpur. When he moved to the UK in 1958, he was introduced to US theater and film producer Mike Todd, landing him a small part in the film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. He moved to Italy for five months, where he played roles in movies and television. On his return to the UK, he performed under the name Eric Young, appearing on TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s such as The Saint, The Avengers, Blake's 7, The Tomorrow People, Somerset Maugham Hour, The Champions, Danger Man, The Chinese Puzzle, Are You Being Served? and Room Service.[6][7]

Some of his best-known roles include: Kao Kan in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Bruce Lee's father in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), Mao Zedong in Nixon (1995), General Chang Jing Wu in Seven Years in Tibet (1997), Mr. Kwai in The Transporter (2002) and Henry Lee in The Corruptor (1999).[1][8] He is one of the few individuals who performed in both the original versions of the TV series The Saint (in 1964), Hawaii Five-O (in 1976) and their reboots in Return of the Saint (in 1978) and Hawaii Five-O (in 2010).[1]

Producer edit

Young has produced two projects, Paranormal Whactivity and the short Oy Vey!.

Personal life edit

Young teaches acting alongside his other projects.[9]

Filmography edit

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1958 The Inn of the Sixth Happiness Unknown Uncredited
Rascel marine Soldato Giapponese as Eric Yong
1961 The Terror of the Tongs Confucius
The Sinister Man John Choto
1962 Satan Never Sleeps Junior Officer Uncredited
1965 Lord Jim Malay
The Face of Fu Manchu Grand Lama
1966 Invasion The Lystrian
The Brides of Fu Manchu Control Assistant
1967 You Only Live Twice Chinese Agent Uncredited
Pretty Polly Lim Kee
1969 The Chairman Yin as Eric Young
1974 Sex Play Wang Lo
1983 High Road to China Kim Su Lee
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Kao Kan[10]
Success Is the Best Revenge Chinese Waiter
1987 Ping Pong Alan Wong
Dragon Chow [de] Xiao
The Last Emperor Interrogator
1988 Keys to Freedom Lieutenant Kwong
1993 Cyborg 2 Bobby Lin
1993 Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story Lee Hoi-Chuen (Bruce's Father)
1995 Nixon Mao Zedong
1997 Booty Call Mr. Chiu
Seven Years in Tibet General Chang Jing Wu
1999 The Corruptor Henry Lee
2000 Chain of Command Ken Fung
2001 Kiss of the Dragon 'Mr. Big' Sung
2002 Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity Bing Lai
The Transporter Mr. Kwai
2004 Mickey ESPN Reporter
2007 American Gangster[11] Khun Sa
2010 The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It North Korean Dictator Direct-to-DVD
2012 Betrayal Joey
Getting Back to Zero Big Boss Man
TV
Year Title Role Episode
1959 The Voodoo Factor The Malayan The Malayan
1960 Somerset Maugham Hour Kong Flotsam and Jetsam
The Odd Man Chinese Waiter Episode 3
Danger Man Ming The Journey Ends Halfway
Danger Man Police Lieutenant The Honeymooners
1961 Danger Man Mr. Toy The Actor
The Avengers Suchong Kill The King
Ghost Squad Robert E. Lee Hong Kong Story
1962 The River Flows East Chinaman 2 episodes
Man of the World Chou The Frontier
1963 Zero One Jerry Deadly Angels
Ghost Squad Barman East of Mandalay
Espionage Captain Li The Dragon Slayer
1964 The Saint Lo Yung Jeannine
1966 Out of the Unknown Munder The Eye
1968 The Champions Ho Ling The Beginning
The Champions Burmese Police Captain The Gun-Runners
1969 Strange Report Sung-Lee Report 2641: Hostage – If You Won't Learn, Die!
Doctor in the House Chinese Student Getting the Bird
W. Somerset Maugham Ong Chi Seng The Letter
1970 W. Somerset Maugham Oakley The Door of Opportunity
The Troubleshooters Nivilak Who Did You Say Inherits the Earth?
1972 Jason King Airport Barman Every Picture Tells a Story
Doctor in Charge First Interpreter Yellow Fever
The Onedin Line Johnny Heave-Ho Fetch and Carry
The Onedin Line Liu Chan Race For Power
1974 Bless This House Si Ann The Bells Are Ringing
The Tomorrow People Lee Wan The Doomsday Men
ITV Playhouse Mr. Yamada Love Affair
Microbes and Men Shiga The Search for the Magic Bullet
The Chinese Puzzle China 6 episodes
1975 Are You Being Served? Mr. Kato The Hands of Fate
1976 The XYY Man Li Tshien The Resolution & The Execution (2 episodes)
Hawaii Five-O Chinese Travel Agent Nine Dragons
1977 Crown Court Sherpa Solo Khombu An Upward Fall
1978 Gangsters Double Petal Double Peril & Enter the White Devil (2 episodes)
The Doombolt Chase Statesman Death Beacon
Return of the Saint Surinit Assault Force
The Upchat Connection Tourist Mystery Tour
1979 Room Service Tin-Tin 6 episodes
1980 Blake's 7 Ginka Children of Auron
Spearhead Sergeant Weng The Macau Connection
1981 Tenko Father Lim 2 episodes
1983 Reilly, Ace of Spies Sergeant Prelude to War
1984 The Brief Mr. Sun No Questions
1988 Noble House Tsu-Yan 4 episodes
1989 Booker Japanese Boss High Rise
1991 Tatort Chow Die chinesische Methode
1995 Signs and Wonders Father Mercy 4 episodes
1997–1998 NightMan Mr. Chang 3 episodes
2001–2004 Alias Dr. Zhang Lee Recurring role
2005 Commander in Chief Reporter #4 Pilot
2010 Hawaii Five-0 General Pak Po'ipu

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Ric Young at IMDb
  2. ^ "Alias: A Higher Echelon (2003) - Guy Bee - Cast and Crew". AllMovie.
  3. ^ Rawson-Jones, Ben (18 November 2007). "Cult Spy's Phobia Corner: Dentistry". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  4. ^ Eric the actor is an Angry Young Man
  5. ^ Fabrique. "Eric Young — RADA". www.rada.ac.uk.
  6. ^ "Eric Young - Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
  7. ^ "Ric Young". www.aveleyman.com.
  8. ^ "Ric Young". BFI. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Actor Ric Young on 'Hawaii Five-O'". Axs.com. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  10. ^ Kolker, Robert (8 June 2011). A Cinema of Loneliness. Oxford University Press. pp. 486–. ISBN 9780199910533. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  11. ^ Hunter, Stephen (2 November 2007). "'American Gangster': A Direct Hit". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

External links edit