Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the ''

Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film ''The Pin ...

'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

Major Yamauchi in the British drama series '' Tenko'' and as Entwistle in ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of '' Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes f ...

''.

Early life

Kwouk was born on 18 July 1930 in

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, to Chinese parents; his parents were on a business trip touring Europe. He was brought up in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

; his father was a textile tycoon descended from a

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

general. Between the ages of 12 and 16, he attended the Shanghai Jesuit Mission School, which he described as "the Far East equivalent" of

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

. He left China in 1947 when his parents returned to Britain, and was sent to the United States to complete his education. In 1953, he graduated from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin Intern ...

. The Kwouk family fortune was lost in the

Chinese communist revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution, officially known as the Chinese People's War of Liberation in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and also known as the National Protection War against the Communist Rebellion in the Republic of China (ROC ...

in the 1940s. In 1954, he returned to Britain, where a girlfriend "nagged iminto acting".

Career

Kwouk made his film debut in ''

Windom's Way ''Windom's Way'' is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Peter Finch and Mary Ure. Made in Eastman Color, it is set during the Malayan Emergency. Premise Dr Alec Windom is a British doctor who works in a village i ...

'' (1957). One of his earliest film roles was in ''

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness ''The Inn of the Sixth Happiness'' is a 1958 20th Century Fox film based on the true story of Gladys Aylward, a tenacious British woman, who became a missionary in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Directed by Mark Robson, who receiv ...

'' (1958) in the role of the leader of a

prison revolt A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners. Prison riots have not been the subject of many academic studies or research inquir ...

who later aids the main character Gladys Aylward ( Ingrid Bergman) in heroically leading orphans to safety. He was best known for playing Cato Fong,

Inspector Clouseau Inspector Jacques Clouseau (), later granted the rank of Chief Inspector, is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' farcical '' The Pink Panther'' series. He is portrayed by Peter Sellers in the original series, and also by Alan Arkin in ...

's manservant, in the ''

'' film series. The character was first introduced in '' A Shot in the Dark'' (1964), the second film in the series, and was a role that Kwouk would reprise on another six occasions until the 2006 series reboot. The

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

was that Cato was ordered to attack Clouseau when he least expected it to keep him alert, usually resulting in a ruined romantic encounter or Clouseau's flat being completely destroyed. Amid the chaos, the phone would ring and Cato would calmly answer it before dutifully handing the phone to his employer and being thumped by Clouseau. He was a stalwart of several 1960s ITC television series, such as ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'', ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' and '' Man of the World'', when an

oriental The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

character was required. Kwouk featured as one of the leads in the short-lived series ''

The Sentimental Agent ''The Sentimental Agent'' is a television drama series spin-off from '' Man of the World.'' It was produced in the United Kingdom in 1963 by Associated Television and distributed by ITC Entertainment. The series ran for 13 one-hour monochrome ...

'' (1963) and had minor roles in three

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

films. In '' Goldfinger'' (1964), he played Mr. Ling, a Chinese expert in nuclear fission; in the non-Eon spoof '' Casino Royale'' (1967), he played a general and, in '' You Only Live Twice'' (also 1967), Kwouk played the part of a

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese operative of Blofeld, credited as Spectre3. He appeared with

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

and

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

in ''

The Shoes of the Fisherman The Shoes of the Fisherman may refer to: * ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (novel), a 1963 novel by the writer Morris West * ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (film), a 1968 film based on the novel {{disambiguation ...

'' A reference to Kwouk's appearances in several films with

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

is found in the opening scene of ''

The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu ''The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu'' is a 1980 comedy film. It was the final film featuring star Peter Sellers and David Tomlinson. Based on characters created by Sax Rohmer, the film stars Sellers in the dual role of Fu Manchu, a megalomaniac ...

'' (1980) where Sellers says to him "your face is familiar." His next major role was as the honourable but misguided Major Yamauchi in the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

television drama '' Tenko'' (1981–84). Kwouk featured in many British television productions that called for an oriental actor. As a result, he became a familiar face in the United Kingdom and appeared as himself in the '' Harry Hill Show'' as well as several of Hill's live tours. Burt also had a cameo in ''

Super Gran ''Super Gran'' is a fictional series about a grandmother with super powers. Initially a series of books written by Forrest Wilson, a children's television show was adapted by Jenny McDade and produced by Tyne Tees Television for Children's ITV. ...

'' in 1985. In 2000, he appeared in an episode of the syndicated western TV series ''

Queen of Swords The Queen of Swords is a card in the Suit of Swords, part of the Minor Arcana set of the Tarot. Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play tarot card games. In English-speaking countries, Tarot cards are utilized primarily for div ...

'' as Master Kiyomasa, an aged

ese warrior-priest. Sung-Hi Lee played his female pupil, Kami. He provided

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

s on the spoof Japanese betting show '' Banzai'' (2001–04) and subsequently appeared in adverts for the betting company,

Bet365 Bet365 Group Ltd (commonly known and stylized as bet365 and spoken as "bet three-six-five") is a leading British online gambling company based in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Denise Coates, who remains the majority shareholder and join ...

. From 2002 to the series's end in 2010, he had a regular role as one of the three main characters in the long-running series ''

'', as 'Electrical' Entwistle. His later work also included

voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

for

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

, video games, and television commercials.

Personal life

Kwouk married Caroline Tebbs in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, in the summer of 1961. Their son Christopher was born in 1974. Kwouk was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to drama. In later years, he lived in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, London.

Death

Kwouk died on 24 May 2016 at the age of 85, from cancer at the

Marie Curie Hospice Marie Curie is a registered charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which provides care and support to people living with a terminal illness and those close to them, and campaigns for better support for dying people. It was established in 19 ...

Selected filmography

Film

Television

* ''

Hancock's Half Hour ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Galton and Simpson, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sid James, Sidney James; the r ...

'': "How to Win Money and Influence People" (1957) as 1st Japanese (credited as Burd Kwok) * ''

'' (1961) as Chen Tung / Tai * '' Man of the World'' (1962) as Liu * ''

'' (1963) as Chin * '' The Avengers'' (1961-1965) as Tusamo / Mason / King Tenuphon * ''

'' (1965-1968) as Mr. Ching / Col. Wing / Tawau * ''

The Champions ''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on ITV ...

'': "The Beginning" (1967) as Chinese Major * ''

Shirley's World ''Shirley's World'' is a television series aired first by ABC during the 1971–72 television season. The sitcom was co-produced by the British ITC Entertainment and American producer Sheldon Leonard, with English producer-director Ray Au ...

'': "A Hell of an Engineer" (1972) as Shunji * ''

Lucky Feller ''Lucky Feller'' is a British television sitcom written by Terence Frisby and produced by Humphrey Barclay. It was broadcast on ITV in 1976. The series stars David Jason and ran for one series of 13 episodes. The series is about two plumber br ...

'' (1976) as Chinese waiter * ''

Warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

'' (1977) as Foreign Minister Zee Khay Lim * ''

The Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is ...

'': (1976–1978) as Narrator (English dub) * ''

It Ain't Half Hot Mum ''It Ain't Half Hot, Mum'' is a BBC television sitcom about a Royal Artillery concert party based in Deolali in British India and the fictional village of Tin Min in Burma, during the last months of the Second World War. It was written by Jimm ...

'' (1977–1978) as Me Thant * ''

The Tomorrow People ''The Tomorrow People'' is a British children's science fiction television series created by Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV Network, the series first ran from 30 April 1973 to 19 February 1979. The theme music was ...

'': "The Lost Gods" (1978) as Matsu Tan * '' Monkey Magic'' (1978–1979) as Narrator (English dub) * '' Shoestring'' (1980) as Mr Wing * ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' (1980) as Sojo * '' Tenko'' (1981) as Major Yamauchi * ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'': "

Four to Doomsday ''Four to Doomsday'' is the second serial of the 19th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 18 to 26 January 1982. The serial is set almost enti ...

" (1982) as Lin Futu * ''

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense ''Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense'' is a short-lived (one season) anthology television series produced in Britain in 1984/85 by Hammer Film Productions. Though similar in format to the 1980 series '' Hammer House of Horror'', the ''Mystery ...

'': "Mark of the Devil" (1984) as Lee * ''

Tickle on the Tum ''Tickle on the Tum'' is a series of ten-minute programmes for young children produced by Granada Television and aired on the ITV network from 1984 until 1988. The series was set in the General Store and Post Office in the fictional village ...

'' (1984) as Willie Wok * ''

Howards' Way ''Howards' Way'' is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC1 between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the wealthy yachting and business comm ...

'' (1987) as Mr Lee * '' T-Bag Bounces Back'' (1987) as Hi Hatt * '' Noble House'' (1988) as Phillip Chen * ''

The House of Eliott ''The House of Eliott'' is a British television series produced and broadcast by the BBC in three series between 1991 and 1994. The series starred Stella Gonet as Beatrice Eliott and Louise Lombard as Evangeline Eliott, two sisters in 1920s Lon ...

'' (1991) as Peter Lo Ching * ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'' (1992, "Eric of Arabia") as Banker * ''

'' (1993, "The Peking Gun") as Mr Ying * ''

Space Precinct ''Space Precinct'' is a British television series that was first broadcast from 1994 to 1995 on Sky One and later on BBC Two from 1995 to 1996 in the UK, and in first-run syndication in the United States. Many US stations scheduled the show in ...

'' (1994, "Protect and Survive") as Slik Ostrasky * ''

Bullet to Beijing ''Bullet to Beijing'' is a 1995 made-for-television film that continues the adventures of the fictional spy Harry Palmer, who appeared in the 1960s films ''The Ipcress File'', ''Funeral in Berlin'' and ''Billion Dollar Brain'', based on books b ...

'' (1996) as Kim Soo * ''

The Harry Hill Show ''Harry Hill'', later titled ''The All-New Harry Hill Show'' and also referred to as ''The Harry Hill Show'', was a British stand-up comedy sketch show, starring comedian Harry Hill, that ran for four series from 1997 to 2003, on both Channel ...

'' (1997–2000) * ''

'': "The Dragon" (2001) as Master Kiyomassa * '' Banzai'' (2001) as Narrator * ''

'' (2002–2010) as Entwistle * ''

Judge John Deed ''Judge John Deed'' is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Mr Justice Deed, a High Court of Justice, High Court judge wh ...

'' (2005, "Separation of Powers") as Professor Vang Pao * ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McC ...

'' (2006, "

Cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

") as Jimmy Han * '' Honest'' (2008) as Mr Hong * '' Spirit Warriors'' (2009) as Shen * '' Whatever Happened to Harry Hill'' (2012)

Audio theatre

* ''

Loups-Garoux ''Loups-Garoux'' (French for werewolves) is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. Plot In Brazil in the year 2080, the Fifth Doctor and Turlough are confronte ...

'' (2001) as Doctor Hayashi

Video games

* '' Fire Warrior'' (2003) as El'Lusha * '' EyeToy: Play'' (2003) as Announcer

Miscellaneous

* Film trailer – ''

Monty Python and the Holy Grail ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' is a 1975 British comedy film satirizing the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin) an ...

'' (1974) as Asian Voiceover Announcer * A 17-minute interview with Burt Kwouk from 2010 about his appearances in ITC shows is featured on the Network DVD ''

''.

References

External links

*
Burt Kwouk
(Aveleyman)
Burt Kwouk
Kinotv) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kwouk, Burt 1930 births 2016 deaths Deaths from cancer in England British male actors of Chinese descent English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Chinese descent Officers of the Order of the British Empire Bowdoin College alumni Male actors from Warrington Male actors from Shanghai British male comedy actors