Richard Loo

Acting

Born October 1, 1903 — Died November 20, 1983 Maui, Hawaii, USA

Richard Loo (October 1, 1903 – November 20, 1983) was an American film actor who was one of the most familiar Asian character actors in American films of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1982. Chinese by ancestry and Hawaiian by birth, Loo spent his youth in Hawaii, then moved to California as a teenager. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and began a career in business. The stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent economic depression forced Loo to start over. He became involved with amateur, then professional, theater companies and in 1931 made his first film. Like most Asian actors in non-Asian countries, he played primarily small, stereotypical roles, though he rose quickly to familiarity, if not fame, in a number of films. His stern features led him to be a favorite movie villain, and the outbreak of World War II gave him greater prominence in roles as vicious Japanese soldiers in such successful pictures as The Purple Heart (1944) and God Is My Co-Pilot (1945). Loo was most often typecast as the Japanese enemy pilot, spy or interrogator during World War II. In the film The Purple Heart he plays a Japanese Imperial Army general who commits suicide because he cannot break down the American prisoners. According to his daughter, Beverly Jane Loo, he didn't mind being typecast as a villain in these movies as he felt very patriotic about playing those parts. In 1944 he appeared as a Chinese army lieutenant opposite Gregory Peck in The Keys of the Kingdom. He had a rare heroic role as a war-weary Japanese-American soldier in Samuel Fuller's Korean War classic The Steel Helmet (1951), but he spent much of the latter part of his career performing stock roles in films and minor television roles. In 1974 he appeared as the Thai billionaire tycoon Hai Fat in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, opposite Roger Moore and Christopher Lee. Loo was also a teacher of Shaolin monks in three episodes of the 1972–1975 hit TV series Kung Fu and made a further three appearances as a different character. His last acting appearance was in The Incredible Hulk TV series in 1981, but he continued to act in Toyota commercials into 1982. Loo died of a cerebral hemorrhage on November 20, 1983, age 80. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]

Movies(94)

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

Sgt. Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited)

2002

Kung Fu: The Movie

Master Sun

1986

Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur

Chiang-Kai-Shek

1976

The Man with the Golden Gun

Hai Fat

1974

Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, the Sign of the Dragon

Master Sun

1972

Chandler

Leo

1971

One More Train to Rob

Mr. Chang

1971

Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities

Kenji Yamashita

1969

The Sand Pebbles

Major Chin

1966

A Girl Named Tamiko

Otani

1962

Diamond Head

Yamagata (uncredited)

1962

Confessions of an Opium Eater

George Wah

1962

The Scavengers

1959

Hong Kong Affair

Li Noon

1958

The Quiet American

Mr. Heng

1958

Battle Hymn

Gen. Kim (scenes deleted)

1957

Around the World in 80 Days

Saloon Manager (uncredited)

1956

The Conqueror

Captain of Wang's guard

1956

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing

Robert Hung

1955

House of Bamboo

Inspector Kito's Voice (voice) (uncredited)

1955

Soldier of Fortune

Gen. Po Lin

1955

The Shanghai Story

Officer

1954

Living It Up

Dr. Lee

1954

The Bamboo Prison

Commandant Hsai Tung

1954

Hell and High Water

Hakada Fujimori

1954

China Venture

Chang Sung

1953

Destination Gobi

Commanding Officer, Japanese POW Camp

1953

Target Hong Kong

Fu Chao

1953

5 Fingers

1952

I Was an American Spy

Col. Masamato

1951

The Steel Helmet

Sergeant Tanaka

1951

Malaya

Colonel Genichi Tomura

1949

The Clay Pigeon

Ken Tokoyama

1949

State Department: File 649

Marshal Yun Usu

1949

Rogues' Regiment

Kao Pang

1948

The Cobra Strikes

Hyder Ali

1948

Half Past Midnight

Lee Gow

1948

To the Ends of the Earth

Commissioner Lu (uncredited)

1948

Women in the Night

Colonel Noyama

1948

Beyond Our Own

James Wong

1947

Web of Danger

Wing

1947

Seven Were Saved

Colonel Yamura

1947

Tokyo Rose

Colonel Suzuki

1946

Prison Ship

Capt. Okisawa

1945

First Yank into Tokyo

Col. Hideko Okanura

1945

Back to Bataan

Maj. Hasko

1945

China's Little Devils

Colonel Huraji

1945

China Sky

Col. Yasuda

1945

Betrayal from the East

Lt. Cmdr. Miyazaki, alias Tani

1945

God Is My Co-Pilot

Tokyo Joe

1945

The Keys of the Kingdom

Lt. Shon

1944

The Story of Dr. Wassell

Chinese Doctor on Train (uncredited)

1944

The Purple Heart

General Ito Mitsubi

1944

So Proudly We Hail

Japanese Radio Announcer (Voice) (Uncredited)

1943

Destroyer

Japanese Submarine Commander

1943

Behind the Rising Sun

Japanese Officer Dispensing Opium

1943

Yanks Ahoy

Japanese Submarine Officer (uncredited)

1943

China

Lin Yun

1943

Flight for Freedom

Mr. Yokahata (uncredited)

1943

The Falcon Strikes Back

Jerry

1943

The Amazing Mrs. Holliday

1943

Road to Morocco

Chinese Announcer (uncredited)

1942

Across the Pacific

First Officer Miyuma

1942

Wake Island

1942

Star Spangled Rhythm

Emperor Hirohito (uncredited)

1942

Secret of the Wastelands

Quan

1941

Doomed to Die

Tong Leader

1940

The Fatal Hour

Jeweler

1940

Barricade

Colonel Commander of Rescue Party

1939

Daughter of the Tong

Wong

1939

Island of Lost Men

General Ahn Ling

1939

Lady of the Tropics

Delaroch's Chauffeur

1939

Miracles for Sale

Chinese Soldier in Demo

1939

Mr. Wong in Chinatown

Tong Chief

1939

Panama Patrol

Tommy Young

1939

North of Shanghai

Jed's Pilot

1939

Shadows Over Shanghai

Fong

1938

Too Hot to Handle

Charlie (uncredited)

1938

Blondes at Work

Sam Wong (uncredited)

1938

West of Shanghai

Mr. Cheng

1937

That Certain Woman

Elevator Operator (uncredited)

1937

The Good Earth

Farmer (uncredited)

1937

The Soldier and the Lady

Tartar (Uncredited)

1937

Lost Horizon

Shanghai Airport Official (uncredited)

1937

Stowaway

Chinese Merchant (uncredited)

1936

Mad Holiday

Li Yat (uncredited)

1936

Roaming Lady

Chinese Seaman

1936

China Seas

Chinese Inspector at Gangplank (uncredited)

1935

Stranded

Chinese Groom (uncredited)

1935

Student Tour

Geisha's Customer

1934

Now and Forever

Hotel Clerk (uncredited)

1934

The Bitter Tea of General Yen

Captain Li

1932

The Secrets of Wu Sin

Charlie San

1932

War Correspondent

Bandit (uncredited)

1932

Richard Loo

TV Shows(30)

Movies(94)