Kim Chan
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
Kim Chan | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Chan Kim Shung December 28, 1917 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | October 5, 2008 (aged 90) New York City, United States | ||||||||||||||
| Other names | Kim S. Chan | ||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1951–2007 | ||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 陈锦湘 | ||||||||||||||
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Kim Chan (born Kim Shung Chan; Chinese: 陈锦湘; December 28, 1917 – October 5, 2008) was a Chinese–American actor and producer. He was most notable for his roles as Lo Si, a.k.a. The Ancient, in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and Mr. Kim in The Fifth Element.
Early life, family and education
[edit]Kim Shung Chan was born in Shanghai, to a family originally from Taishan, Guangdong. Together with his father and two sisters, Chan immigrated to the United States in 1928, first living in Rhode Island before settling in the Bronx in New York City in 1938.[1][2][3][4] Chan worked as a maître d' at the House of Chan family restaurant in Manhattan. Having held a life-long fascination with the film industry, he left this position in the 1940s to pursue an acting career, which led to his father cutting off ties with him. Although Chan was happy with the higher wages for work as an extra, he had frequent financial difficulties and was homeless for two years. He primarily worked as a construction worker during this time.[4][5]
Chan never married, but had romantic relationships with non-Chinese women. He had no biological children, but had an adoptive son, Michael Chandler.[1][3][6]
Career
[edit]Chan was a familiar character actor, especially when he was elderly. An early role that brought him notice was in the Martin Scorsese classic The King of Comedy with Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, in which he played Lewis' butler.[6]
He played the character Lo Si a.k.a. The Ancient in 52 episodes of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues from 1993 thru 1997. He also played the villainous monk Ping Hai on the TV series.[6] The series was a revised version of the original 1973 classic, Kung Fu with both series starring David Carradine. He played the recurring villain The Eggman in four episodes of the science fiction TV series Now and Again. He appeared in many guest roles in series, including Mad About You (1998), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2002), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004).
Other film roles include Uncle Benny Chan in Lethal Weapon 4(1998), the father of Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) in Shanghai Knights (2003), Mr. Kim in The Fifth Element (1997), [6] Fuji in Who's the Man? (1993), Benny Wong in The Corruptor(1999), The Master in Zen Noir (2004), and a cameo appearance as a waiter in Private Parts (1997). He was also a producer on Zen Noir. [6]
Death
[edit]Chan died on October 5, 2008 in Brooklyn, after being hospitalized for respiratory disease. His age at death is most commonly reported as 90, although he had reportedly told Linda Wang that he was 93 shortly before he died.[1] His niece Judy Gee also claimed that he was likely 93 or 94 years old.[6]
He was featured in a photography exhibit when he was in his 90s. In October 2009, a year after his death, Chan appeared on the cover of the journal The Gerontologist beside his photography portrait.[7]
Honors and awards
[edit]In November 1999, the Screen Actors Guild presented Chan with an award for lifetime achievement.[8] He received another award for lifetime achievement in August 2004 at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.[9]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | A Face in the Crowd | Commercial Spokesperson | No Dialogue / Uncredited | |
| 1970 | The Owl and the Pussycat | Theatre Cashier | ||
| 1979 | Squadra antigangsters | Chan Chu Kai | Uncredited | |
| 1982 | Soup for One | Harold The Cook | ||
| 1983 | The King of Comedy | Jonno | ||
| 1984 | Over the Brooklyn Bridge | Japanese Buyer #2 | ||
| 1984 | Moscow on the Hudson | Chinese Customer | ||
| 1984 | The Cotton Club | Ling | ||
| 1985 | Desperately Seeking Susan | Park Bum | ||
| 1985 | Streetwalkin' | Desk Clerk | ||
| 1986 | 9½ Weeks | Chinatown Butcher | ||
| 1986 | Gung Ho | Member of Board | ||
| 1986 | Jumpin' Jack Flash | Korean Flower Vendor | ||
| 1986 | No Mercy | Old Asian Man | ||
| 1987 | Fatal Attraction | Party Guest | Uncredited | |
| 1989 | Cookie | Hong Kong Tailor | ||
| 1989 | Second Sight | Chinese Store Owner | ||
| 1990 | Cadillac Man | Dim Sum Cook | ||
| 1990 | Alice | Dr. Yang's Patient | ||
| 1991 | Thousand Pieces of Gold | Li Ping | ||
| 1991 | American Shaolin | Master Kwan | ||
| 1993 | Who's the Man? | Fuji | ||
| 1994 | Robot in the Family | Massage Parlor Patron #1 | ||
| 1996 | Breathing Room | Meditation Teacher | ||
| 1997 | Private Parts | Waiter | ||
| 1997 | The Fifth Element | Mr. Kim | ||
| 1997 | The Devil's Advocate | Chinese Man | ||
| 1997 | Kundun | Second Chinese General | ||
| 1998 | Lethal Weapon 4 | Benny 'Uncle Benny' Chan | ||
| 1999 | A Fish in the Bathtub | Medicine Shop Owner | ||
| 1999 | The Corruptor | Benny 'Uncle Benny' Wong | ||
| 1999 | On the Q.T. | Asian Busker | ||
| 2002 | High Times' Potluck | Saki | ||
| 2002 | Rollerball | Uncredited | ||
| 2003 | Shanghai Knights | Chon Wang's Father | ||
| 2004 | Zen Noir | The Master | ||
| 2005 | The Honeymooners | Quinn | ||
| 2006 | 16 Blocks | Sam |
Television
[edit] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Man Sitting on Steps (uncredited) | Episode: "China Rain" |
| 1986 | Outlaws | Mr. Luk | [citation needed] |
| 1990 | Law & Order | Juror (uncredited) | Episode: "Indifference" |
| 1991 | Law & Order | Restaurant Manager | Episode: "Heaven" |
| 1993–1997 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Lo Si (The Ancient) / Ping Hai | 54 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | Now and Again | The Eggman | 4 episodes |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Mr. Hsu | Episode: "Chinoiserie" |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Mr. Zhang | Episode: "Debt" |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "好莱坞电影"专业中国老头"华裔演员陈锦湘去世". 中国新闻. 2008-10-09.
- ^ "Kim Chan Biography (1917-2008)". filmreference.com.
- ^ a b "陳錦湘美國病逝". Sing Tao. Archived from the original on 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ a b Millis, Mike (2001-02-21). "SAG to Honor Veteran Actor Kim Chan". Backstage.
- ^ "好莱坞电影"专业中国老头"华裔演员陈锦湘去世". 中国侨网. 9 October 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Grimes, William (2008-10-09). "Kim Chan, Who Had Roles in TV and 'King of Comedy,' Is Dead". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Levine, Jeffrey. "Cover Photo". The Gerontologist. Oxford Journals. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ Millis, Mike (5 November 1999). "SAG to Honor Veteran Actor Kim Chan". Back Stage. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ "RIIFF Awards". film-festival.org (Press release). Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
External links
[edit]- Kim Chan at IMDb
- Kim Chan's obituary (in Chinese)
- The Low Rent Kim Chan Fan Club
- Sole, Magdalena. "A Zen Tale". TransImage. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- Lin, Thomas (19 June 2007). "A Tough Act I, but the Second Has Some Funny Bits". Newspaper Article. The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- Grimes, William (9 October 2008). "Kim Chan, Who Had Roles in TV and 'King of Comedy,' Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
- Lennon, Sheila. "Time Lapse Blog". Blog. Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
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