John James Hong’s Top 10 Movies, According To IMDb

John James Hong has made a career out of playing “Wise Old Asian Man” roles, something he seemed to inhabit since the start of his career in 1955. But with over 400 credits on IMDb, he has also managed to be cast in atypical parts in popular films like Blade Runner, RIPD, and Bound For Glory.

The 91-year-old veteran is still busy in Hollywood and in voiceover roles, in a variety of genres – the most prominent performances are listed here.

10 Kung Fu Panda (7.25)

Hong’s most popular role is probably Mr. Ping in the Kung-Fu Panda movies, even though he only provides his voice.  The father of the main character, Po (voiced by Jack Black), Mr. Ping is a goose who runs the local noodle shop, offering tidbits of wisdom and fatherly encouragement (or disappointment) as his son becomes the famed Dragon Warrior.

Hong joins a list of prominent actors who lent their voice to the Kung-Fu Panda franchise, including Jackie Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Angelina Jolie, and Dustin Hoffman.

9 The In-Laws (7.3)

Veteran actor and producer Alan Arkin made a string of broad comedies in the mid-70s, including Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Freebie and the Bean, and The In-Laws, with Hong in a small role. Despite its age, The In-Laws is still included on many Top 100 Comedy lists.

Hong plays Bing Wong, an airplane steward who helps set Dr. Sheldon Kornpett (Arkin) on his screwball adventure. As almost all of Wong’s lines were in Cantonese, Hong improvised most of his dialogue, with the filmmaker’s blessing.

8 Bound For Glory (7.3)

Bound for Glory is a 1976 film chronicling the early life of folk singer Woody Guthrie, a Depression-era singer-songwriter who wrote inspirational and political songs like “This Land Is Our Land.”  This biographical movie starred David Carradine in the title role and was one of 18 films from Oscar-winning director, Hal Ashby.

Although a popular film in the 70as – including Academy and Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture – Bound for Glory is not as well-known as other movies released that year, such as Taxi Driver and Rocky. Hong would play a supporting role in Guthrie’s journey as “Chili Joint Owner.”

7 Goodbye Paradise (7.3)

Hong has a more prominent role as the cook in 1991’s Goodbye Paradise, where land development threatens a 50-year-old Chinese restaurant and bar. Most of the headline cast, like Joe Moore and Megan Ward, found limited success in Hollywood, although Pat Morita of Karate Kid fame also stars.

Hong would go on to provide commentary for Morita in the documentary More than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story. Although not a popular movie at the box office or in rentals, it remains highly rated on IMDb.

6 Big Trouble In Little China (7.3)

Perhaps his most beloved role in Hollywood, Hong is finally given his dues and plays David Lo Pan in John Carpenter’s comedic Big Trouble in Little China.  Up until 1986, Carpenter was mainly known for making horror movies, like The Thing and Halloween, and action films, like Escape From New York.  Even though Big Trouble in Little China wasn’t a big hit in theaters, it remains popular on cable and streaming platforms.

Hong plays the villainous Lo Pan, as both a mystical, powerful magician and in “human form” as a decrepit old man. He trades barbs with star Kurt Russell and enriches the role with the occasional acknowledgment of how silly the plot is. Of all of Hong’s highly rated movies, Big Trouble in Little China is the most fun.

5 Mulan 7.6

In one of his many voice-acting performances, Hong provides the voice of administrator Chi Fu in this Disney animated tale.  Meant as a tale of female empowerment for children, some of the portrayals in Mulan are a bit suspect 20 years later, something Disney hopefully addresses in the remake coming out later this year.

Unfortunately, Hong does not appear in the live-action remake of Mulan (2020), with key roles granted to Donny Yen and Jet Li (below).

4 Airplane! (7.7)

This madcap, joke-filled parody of airport thrillers was never meant by the filmmakers to be taken seriously, as it mines laughs large and small throughout the plane-crash story. Hong appears in Airplane! in a memorable if one-note scene as an Asian (Japanese?) soldier who tires of lead Ted Striker’s (Robert Hays) stories, and commits suicide via “hari-kari” rather than listen any longer.

This cameo is part of a running gag, where various stereotypical characters are bored to death with the oblivious Striker. Hong is surprisingly recognizable in a mere cameo and seems entirely in on the joke in his brief scenes.

3 Hero (7.9)

This lavish Chinese movie was produced as a Jet Li vehicle and is filled with stars from Hong Kong and China, including Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk, Ziyi Zhang, and Donny Yen. Unfortunately, Hong does not appear on camera in this historical drama, but provides the English language voice for Emporer Qin. A wide range of English-speaking actors with Asian backgrounds provide the voices for other dubbed actors in Hero.

Although a mild success in North America, it made far more money overseas, and still garners a high IMDb rating for a non-English speaking film.

2 Blade Runner (8.1)

In one of Hong’s most famous, non-Asian roles, he plays Doctor Hannibal Chew, the top-level scientist who designs the eyes of the duplicitous replicants. This influential 1982 movie from director Ridley Scott would help usher in a string of high-concept, high production value films.

As noted, Hong often played the stereotypical “Wise Old Man” characters, and in Blade Runner, he briefly adds an eccentric side to Chew’s scenes with antagonists Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) and Leon (Brion James).  Like many roles on this list, Hong’s is a memorable, if short, performance, with this scene often referenced amongst core Blade Runner fans.

1 Chinatown (8.2)

Roman Polanski’s lauded 1974 thriller Chinatown made a star out of Jack Nicholson and established Faye Dunaway as an Oscar contender in a sympathetic and challenging role as Evelyn Mulwray. Here, Hong plays Evelyn’s man-servant Khan, who quietly helps her wade into the murder mystery at the heart of the story.

Hong would also revisit the role in the less popular sequel, The Two Jakes in 1990, where he got more lines. But his character was present in the famous final scene of the original, where our hero is ushered away from the tragedy that concludes the film, and told one of the most famous lines in movie history: “Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown”

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