Willie Fung (3 March 1896 – 16 April 1945) was a Chinese-American film actor who played supporting roles in 125 American films from 1922 to 1944. Like many Chinese actors working in Hollywood during the era, he often played Japanese characters.[1]
Willie Fung | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Fung in Secret Valley (1937) | |
| Born | 3 March 1896 |
| Died | 16 April 1945 (aged 49) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery |
| Other names | Willy Fung |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1922–1944 |
Biography edit
Born in Canton, China,[2] Fung made a name for himself as an actor on the stage in San Francisco.[3] After moving to Los Angeles after his uncle's peanut[4] business collapsed during the depression, Fung — who was reportedly an acquaintance of Jean Harlow[5] — made his film debut in 1922 in Hurricane's Gal. The majority of his roles were in Westerns and dramas.
Behind the scenes, he was an advocate for fair treatment of studio actors.[4] While maintaining his acting career, he ran his own Chinese restaurant: New Moon Café in East Hollywood.[6][7][4]
Fung died of a coronary occlusion in Los Angeles on April 16, 1945 at the age of 49.[8] He is buried in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles.[9][10]
Career edit
Willie Fung experienced racist typecasting throughout his career. As Hal Erickson scaldingly said: "Chinese character actor Willie Fung spent his entire Hollywood career imprisoned by the Hollywood Stereotype Syndrome...Fung was the personification of the 'Yellow Peril'...buck-toothed, pigtailed, pidgin-English-spouting comedy relief."[11]
Despite being in 125 films over the course of 22 years of acting, his time and effort lacked respect from his peers, and he was frowned upon by critics and historians.[4]
Partial filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Hurricane's Gal | Sing | |
| 1922 | Broken Chains | Chinese Man | Uncredited |
| 1923 | Thundergate | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1923 | Her Temporary Husband | Uncredited | |
| 1924 | The Breaking Point | Chinese Cook | Uncredited |
| 1924 | The Iron Horse | Chinaman | Uncredited |
| 1924 | Thundering Hoofs | Cook | Uncredited |
| 1926 | The Blackbird | Chinese Man | Uncredited |
| 1926 | Chip of the Flying U | Chinese Cook | Uncredited |
| 1926 | The Two-Gun Man | Quong | |
| 1926 | The Road to Mandalay | Man in Bar | Uncredited |
| 1926 | The Blackbird | Chinese Man | Uncredited |
| 1926 | The Yellow Back | Chinese | |
| 1926 | Twinkletoes | Chinaman | Uncredited |
| 1926 | Tell It to the Marines | Guard at door of besieged clinic | Uncredited |
| 1927 | Whispering Smith Rides | Wong | |
| 1927 | Old San Francisco | Chang Sue Lee's laughing servant | Uncredited |
| 1928 | The Way of the Strong | Chinese Cook | Uncredited |
| 1929 | Chinatown Nights | One of Riley's Henchmen | Uncredited |
| 1929 | The Far Call | Wing | |
| 1929 | Where East Is East | Servant | Uncredited |
| 1929 | The Black Book | Tin Lung | Serial |
| 1929 | The Delightful Rogue | Hi Lee (the cook) | Uncredited |
| 1929 | The Virginian | Hong | Uncredited |
| 1929 | Shanghai Lady | Bill Collector | Uncredited |
| 1930 | The Lone Star Ranger | The Barber | Uncredited |
| 1930 | The Ship from Shanghai | Shanghai Nightclub Patron | Uncredited |
| 1930 | Dangerous Paradise | Wang | Alternative title: Two Against Death |
| 1930 | The Bad One | Uncredited | |
| 1930 | Shadow Ranch | Camp Cook | Uncredited |
| 1930 | The Sea God | Sin Lee | |
| 1930 | River's End | Eskimo | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Gun Smoke | Wong | |
| 1931 | Three Girls Lost | Chinese Headwaiter | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Night Nurse | Hospital Patient | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Chinatown After Dark | Ling Chi | Uncredited |
| 1931 | West of Broadway | Wing, the cook | |
| 1932 | Union Depot | Chinese Man | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Panama Flo | Bartender at Sadie's Place | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Shanghai Express | Train Engineer | Uncredited |
| 1932 | The Hatchet Man | Notary Fung Loo / Bomb maker | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Carnival Boat | Chino | Uncredited |
| 1932 | The Mouthpiece | Chinese Waiter | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Roar of the Dragon | Chinese Sailor with Rifle | Uncredited |
| 1932 | The Painted Woman | Dealer | Uncredited |
| 1932 | One Way Passage | Hong Kong curio dealer | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Red Dust | Hoy | |
| 1932 | The Mask of Fu Manchu | Ship's Steward | Uncredited |
| 1932 | Self Defense | Charlie | |
| 1932 | The Son-Daughter | Chinese Merchant | Uncredited |
| 1933 | The Bitter Tea of General Yen | Officer | Uncredited |
| 1933 | The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble | Ah Chung | Uncredited |
| 1933 | The Thrill Hunter | Wong, the Cook | |
| 1933 | Cocktail Hour | Mori | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Don't Bet on Love | Charley Lee | Uncredited |
| 1933 | The Narrow Corner | Ah Kay, Saunder's Servant | |
| 1933 | Tugboat Annie | Chow, the Cook | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Ladies Must Love | Mr. Wong | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Meet the Baron | Chinese Man | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Gambling Lady | Ching - Syndicate Board Member | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Crime Doctor | Wah-Sing | Uncredited |
| 1934 | You Belong to Me | Waiter | Uncredited |
| 1934 | A Lost Lady | Forrester's cook | |
| 1934 | Happiness Ahead | Chinese Headwaiter | Uncredited |
| 1934 | I Sell Anything | Charlie | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Gunfire | Camp Cook | |
| 1934 | Red Morning | Ship's Steward | |
| 1934 | Sequoia | Sang Soo | |
| 1935 | Ruggles of Red Gap | Willie - Chinese Servant | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Rocky Mountain Mystery | Ling Yat | |
| 1935 | Chinatown Squad | Driver | Uncredited |
| 1935 | Oil for the Lamps of China | Kin | |
| 1935 | Shanghai | Wang | Credited as Willy Fung |
| 1935 | Hop-Along Cassidy | Salem | |
| 1935 | China Seas | Cabin Boy Ah Sing | Uncredited |
| 1935 | One-Way Ticket | Wing | |
| 1936 | Call of the Prairie | Wong | |
| 1936 | Small Town Girl | So-So | Alternative title: One Horse Town |
| 1936 | Yellowstone | Chinese Cook | Uncredited |
| 1936 | The General Died at Dawn | Bartender | |
| 1936 | White Hunter | Wong | |
| 1936 | Happy Go Lucky | Coolie Fisherman | |
| 1936 | Stowaway | Chang | |
| 1936 | College Holiday | Chinese Man in Junk | Uncredited |
| 1937 | We Who Are About to Die | Kwong | |
| 1937 | Secret Valley | Tabasco the Cook | |
| 1937 | Lost Horizon | Bandit Leader at fuel stop-over | Uncredited |
| 1937 | Git Along Little Dogies | Sing Low | |
| 1937 | Top of the Town | Prop Man | Uncredited |
| 1937 | Come on, Cowboys | Fong | |
| 1937 | Wee Willie Winkie | Mohammet Dihn | |
| 1937 | The Red Rope | Lee Chin the Cook | Uncredited |
| 1937 | The Big Shot | Wu Ping - the Dry Cleaner | Uncredited |
| 1937 | Jungle Menace | Chiang-Houseboy | Serial |
| 1937 | The Trigger Trio | Ranch Cook | |
| 1937 | Wells Fargo | Wang - MacKay's Servant | Uncredited |
| 1938 | International Settlement | Chinese Bartender | Uncredited |
| 1938 | Border Wolves | Ling Wong | |
| 1938 | Sinners in Paradise | Ping | Alternative title: Secrets of a Sinner |
| 1938 | Pride of the West | Sing Loo | Uncredited |
| 1938 | The Road to Reno | Lame Duck | Alternative titles: The Lady and the Ranger The Ranger and the Lady |
| 1938 | Too Hot to Handle | Willie | |
| 1939 | Honolulu | Wong | |
| 1939 | Nancy Drew... Reporter | Mandarin Cafe Proprietor | Uncredited |
| 1939 | The Gracie Allen Murder Case | Houseboy | Uncredited |
| 1939 | 6,000 Enemies | Wang | |
| 1939 | The Girl and the Gambler | Yen, the Chinese Laundryman | Uncredited |
| 1939 | Maisie | Lee | |
| 1939 | Lady of the Tropics | Ling | Uncredited |
| 1939 | Hawaiian Nights | Murphy | |
| 1939 | Hollywood Cavalcade | Willie | |
| 1939 | Barricade | Yen - Cady's Major Domo | |
| 1940 | Viva Cisco Kid | Houseboy Wang | Uncredited |
| 1940 | Buck Benny Rides Again | Chinese Cook | Uncredited |
| 1940 | The Great Profile | Confucius | |
| 1940 | Seven Sinner | Charlie, Shopkeeper | Uncredited |
| 1940 | The Letter | Chung Hi | |
| 1941 | Saddle Mountain Roundup | Fang Way | |
| 1941 | Badlands of Dakota | Wong Lee | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Burma Convoy | Smitty | |
| 1941 | The Gay Falcon | Jerry | |
| 1941 | Public Enemies | Lee Hong | Alternative title: Gangs of the City |
| 1942 | North to the Klondike | Waterlily | |
| 1942 | Captains of the Clouds | Willie | |
| 1942 | The Tuttles of Tahiti | Creditor | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Tarzan's New York Adventure | Sun Lee, the Chinese Tailor | Uncredited |
| 1942 | A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen | Chinese Waiter | Uncredited |
| 1942 | The Spoilers | Chinese Man in Jail Cell | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Meet the Stewarts | Wong the Cook | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Tortilla Flat | Chin Kee, Fisherman | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Halfway to Shanghai | Mr. Wu | |
| 1942 | Flying Tigers | Jim 'Gin' Sling - Waiter | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Destination Unknown | Farmer | |
| 1942 | The Moon and Sixpence | Tiara's Chinese Cook | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Seven Days' Leave | Les Brown's Houseboy | Uncredited |
| 1942 | The Black Swan | Chinese Cook | Uncredited |
| 1943 | They Got Me Covered | Chinese Laundry Man | Uncredited |
| 1944 | The Adventures of Mark Twain | Chinese Man | Uncredited |
References edit
- ^ "No Fun for Willie Fung". The Wilkes-Barre Record. 11 March 1942. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Rielly, Edward J., ed. (2006). Baseball in the Classroom: Essays on Teaching the National Pastime. McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 0-786-48152-8.
- ^ "Ruth Will Not Act". St. Joseph News-Press. 20 November 1931. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d "West Adams Heritage Association | in Historic West Adams, Los Angeles, California". www.westadamsheritage.org. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Moore, Charles R. (20 May 1941). "Hollywood Film Shop". Wilmington Daily Press Journal. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Chinese Actor Has Odd Hobby". Spokane Chronicle. 21 August 1936. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Hollywood Stars "Hide"". The Pittsburgh Press. 13 March 1938. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Vazzana, Eugene Michael (2001). Silent Film Necrology. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. p. 185. ISBN 0-786-41059-0.
- ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. p. 192. ISBN 0-786-40983-5.
- ^ "Notice to Creditors". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 29 June 1945. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Willie Fung | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos | AllMovie". 21 July 2019. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
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External links edit
- Willie Fung at IMDb
- Willie Fung at All Movies Guide