Richard Loo
Known for Acting · 124 credits
- Born
- 1903-10-01
- Died
- 1983-11-20
- Place of birth
- Maui, Hawaii, USA
Biography
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.
Known For
TV Shows (30)
Perry Mason
1957
as Mr. Eng
Bonanza
1959
as General Mu Tsung
Bewitched
1964
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Wong Tou
Maverick
1957
My Three Sons
1960
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Jo-Kai
Studio One
1948
The Dick Cavett Show
1968
as Self - Guest
The Wild Wild West
1965
I Dream of Jeannie
1965
as Wong
The Incredible Hulk
1977
Burke's Law
1963
as Grass Slipper
The Outer Limits
1963
as Li-Chin Sung
The Colgate Comedy Hour
1950
as Self
McCloud
1970
as Y.S. Chen (uncredited)
Family Affair
1966
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1964
as Dr. Yahama
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
Navy Log
1955
Police Story
1973
December Bride
1954
Honey West
1965
as Tog - Chinese Fine Arts Thief
Cavalcade of America
1952
as Ho Chung
The Dakotas
1963
The Beachcomber
1962
as Ah Wei
Hong Kong
1960
as Leo
The Man Called X
1956
Delphi Bureau
1972
as Shen Si
Kung Fu
1972
as Master Sun / Ho Fai, The Weapons Master
Movies (94)
The Man with the Golden Gun
1974
as Hai Fat
Around the World in 80 Days
1956
as Saloon Manager (uncredited)
The Sand Pebbles
1966
as Major Chin
China Seas
1935
as Chinese Inspector at Gangplank (uncredited)
Lost Horizon
1937
as Shanghai Airport Official (uncredited)
The Conqueror
1956
as Captain of Wang's guard
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
1955
as Robert Hung
Chandler
1971
as Leo
Stowaway
1936
as Chinese Merchant (uncredited)
Stranded
1935
as Chinese Groom (uncredited)
Roaming Lady
1936
as Chinese Seaman
China Sky
1945
as Col. Yasuda
5 Fingers
1952
Destroyer
1943
as Japanese Submarine Commander
God Is My Co-Pilot
1945
as Tokyo Joe
One More Train to Rob
1971
as Mr. Chang
Battle Hymn
1957
as Gen. Kim (scenes deleted)
Wake Island
1942
Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, the Sign of the Dragon
1972
as Master Sun
Rogues' Regiment
1948
as Kao Pang
Soldier of Fortune
1955
as Gen. Po Lin
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
2002
as Sgt. Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited)
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
1969
as Kenji Yamashita
House of Bamboo
1955
as Inspector Kito's Voice (voice) (uncredited)
The Story of Dr. Wassell
1944
as Chinese Doctor on Train (uncredited)
To the Ends of the Earth
1948
as Commissioner Lu (uncredited)
Student Tour
1934
as Geisha's Customer
Back to Bataan
1945
as Maj. Hasko
Star Spangled Rhythm
1942
as Emperor Hirohito (uncredited)
Malaya
1949
as Colonel Genichi Tomura
Kung Fu: The Movie
1986
as Master Sun
The Fatal Hour
1940
as Jeweler
Hell and High Water
1954
as Hakada Fujimori
Road to Morocco
1942
as Chinese Announcer (uncredited)
Across the Pacific
1942
as First Officer Miyuma
Too Hot to Handle
1938
as Charlie (uncredited)
The Good Earth
1937
as Farmer (uncredited)
Diamond Head
1962
as Yamagata (uncredited)
The Keys of the Kingdom
1944
as Lt. Shon
The Steel Helmet
1951
as Sergeant Tanaka
China
1943
as Lin Yun
So Proudly We Hail
1943
as Japanese Radio Announcer (Voice) (Uncredited)
The Soldier and the Lady
1937
as Tartar (Uncredited)
The Bitter Tea of General Yen
1932
as Captain Li
Confessions of an Opium Eater
1962
as George Wah
Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur
1976
as Chiang-Kai-Shek
China Venture
1953
as Chang Sung
Panama Patrol
1939
as Tommy Young
Living It Up
1954
as Dr. Lee
Destination Gobi
1953
as Commanding Officer, Japanese POW Camp
The Falcon Strikes Back
1943
as Jerry
Women in the Night
1948
as Colonel Noyama
Betrayal from the East
1945
as Lt. Cmdr. Miyazaki, alias Tani
The Bamboo Prison
1954
as Commandant Hsai Tung
The Shanghai Story
1954
as Officer
Island of Lost Men
1939
as General Ahn Ling
That Certain Woman
1937
as Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Prison Ship
1945
as Capt. Okisawa
State Department: File 649
1949
as Marshal Yun Usu
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
1943
Now and Forever
1934
as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Miracles for Sale
1939
as Chinese Soldier in Demo
The Quiet American
1958
as Mr. Heng
Lady of the Tropics
1939
as Delaroch's Chauffeur
Behind the Rising Sun
1943
as Japanese Officer Dispensing Opium
The Purple Heart
1944
as General Ito Mitsubi
West of Shanghai
1937
as Mr. Cheng
Doomed to Die
1940
as Tong Leader
Mr. Wong in Chinatown
1939
as Tong Chief
The Cobra Strikes
1948
as Hyder Ali
North of Shanghai
1939
as Jed's Pilot
Yanks Ahoy
1943
as Japanese Submarine Officer (uncredited)
First Yank into Tokyo
1945
as Col. Hideko Okanura
Flight for Freedom
1943
as Mr. Yokahata (uncredited)
Mad Holiday
1936
as Li Yat (uncredited)
I Was an American Spy
1951
as Col. Masamato
The Scavengers
1959
Tokyo Rose
1946
as Colonel Suzuki
Barricade
1939
as Colonel Commander of Rescue Party
Seven Were Saved
1947
as Colonel Yamura
The Secrets of Wu Sin
1932
as Charlie San
The Clay Pigeon
1949
as Ken Tokoyama
Beyond Our Own
1947
as James Wong
Half Past Midnight
1948
as Lee Gow
Blondes at Work
1938
as Sam Wong (uncredited)
Hong Kong Affair
1958
as Li Noon
Shadows Over Shanghai
1938
as Fong
War Correspondent
1932
as Bandit (uncredited)
Secret of the Wastelands
1941
as Quan
A Girl Named Tamiko
1962
as Otani
Target Hong Kong
1953
as Fu Chao
Daughter of the Tong
1939
as Wong
Web of Danger
1947
as Wing
China's Little Devils
1945
as Colonel Huraji
About Richard Loo
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 invol… With 124 credits spanning from 1932 to 2002, Richard Loo has appeared in 94 films and 30 TV shows.
Fans searching for Richard Loo movies, Richard Loo filmography, or the latest projects starring Richard Loo can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Richard Loo Movies
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) — as Hai Fat
- Around the World in 80 Days (1956) — as Saloon Manager (uncredited)
- The Sand Pebbles (1966) — as Major Chin
- China Seas (1935) — as Chinese Inspector at Gangplank (uncredited)
- Lost Horizon (1937) — as Shanghai Airport Official (uncredited)
Where to Watch Richard Loo Films
Most Richard Loo movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Richard Loo, check our movies catalogue and browse page.