Keye Luke Appreciation

"I have played so many doctors and characters in the mainstream. Because of my appearance, or because of my personality, or whatever it may be, I was always put into good Boy Scout roles -- lawyers, doctors, business executives and tycoons, the nice Chinese guy down the block."

That was a quote from the late, great, and criminally unsung Keye Luke. 

Keye Luke was born in Guangzhou, China and raised in Seattle. Before becoming an actor, he worked as an artist--first in Seattle, later in Hollywood.

Here are some more Fun Facts about Mr. Luke (via IMDb):

• Drew the artwork used in the press book for King Kong (1933).

• Painted the garden fairytale setting murals on the interior of Grauman's Chinese Theatre as well as the massive auditorium ceiling.

• Mr. Luke was the first Chinese-American actor to be signed with RKO, Universal, and MGM. 

• Did you know that Keye Luke was the only person of Asian descent to play a lead (...wait for it...) Asian detective in 1930's/1940's era Hollywood?

Keye Luke painting designs on the bathing suit of his The Good Earth co-star, Suzanna Kim.

Popular Roles (Links)


Charlie Chan in Paris (1935)--This was Keye Luke's second film role and the first of his work as Lee Chan (aka "Number One Son") in the Charlie Chan detective films.

The Sky Dragon (1949)--Mr. Luke's last role as Lee Chan.

The Green Hornet--"The Tunnel of Terror" (1940)--Keye Luke played Kato in the 1940 film serials of The Green Hornet. "The Tunnel of Terror" is the first of thirteen serials.

Kung Fu (1972)--Keye Luke played Master Po in the early 1970's series Kung Fu. This is a clip from the pilot episode.

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Here is Mr. Luke's IMDb page. You'll see that he worked in a lot of other great movies and television shows, including The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (where he voiced Charlie Chan), Star Trek, M*A*S*H*, and Gremlins.

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Also, check out this trailer for KEYE LUKE (2012).