Benson Fong
| Benson Fong | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 10, 1916 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Died | August 1, 1987 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1936–86 |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Chin Fong (Maylia) (1946-1987) (his death) (5 children) |
| Children | Cynthia Fong (b. 1948) Preston Oden Fong Lori Fong (b. 1951) Pamela Fong (b. 1953) Lisa Fong (b. 1957) |
Benson Fong (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: 邝炳雄; pinyin: Kuàng Bǐngxióng; October 10, 1916 – August 1, 1987) was an American character actor.
Born in Sacramento, California, Fong was from a mercantile family. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, he studied briefly in China before returning to Sacramento and opening a grocery store with a cousin.
His acting career resulted from a chance meeting with a Hollywood talent scout. In 1943, while having dinner with some friends in Sacramento, he was approached by a man from Paramount Pictures, who asked if he would like to be in a movie. Fong ended up with a role in a film called China starring Loretta Young and Alan Ladd. He was also offered a 10-week contract for $250 a week.
"It looked like a tremendous fortune and I accepted quickly, afraid they might think twice and back out," he told an interviewer. "I couldn't read lines too well, but world War II was under way and all the studios were looking for actors with Oriental features. I bicycled around from one set to another, playing a Japanese here, a Filipino there, a Chinese on still other days."
The next year, he played one of the sons in Charlie Chan in the Secret Service. Other films in which he appeared included Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo; The Keys of the Kingdom; His Majesty O'Keefe; Flower Drum Song; Our Man Flint and The Strongest Man in the World.
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