Kim Chan (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 ''The Fifth Element'' is a 1997 English-language French science fiction action film conceived and directed by Luc Besson, as well as co-written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Chris Tucker, and Milla ...

''.

Early life

Kim Shung Chan was born in

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, then under the government of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. His father was a restaurant owner, and he emigrated to the United States in 1928. An early role that brought him notice was in the

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

classic '' The King of Comedy'' with Robert De Niro and

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

, in which he played Lewis' butler.Grimes, William, 10-09-2008
Kim Chan, Who Had Roles in TV and ‘King of Comedy,’ Is Dead
"

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Career

He was a familiar veteran character actor in roles that included Chon Wang's (

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

) father in ''

Shanghai Knights ''Shanghai Knights'' is a 2003 American martial arts action comedy film. It is the sequel to ''Shanghai Noon'', and the second installment of the ''Shanghai'' film series. Directed by David Dobkin and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, i ...

'', Fuji in Who's the Man? Saki in '' High Times' Potluck'', Benny Wong in ''

The Corruptor ''The Corruptor'' is a 1999 American action film directed by James Foley, starring Chow Yun-fat and Mark Wahlberg. The film was released in the United States on March 12, 1999. Plot NYPD Lieutenant Nick Chen is head of the Asian Gang Unit. Hi ...

'', "Uncle Benny" Chan in ''

Lethal Weapon 4 ''Lethal Weapon 4'' is a 1998 American buddy cop action film directed and produced by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, and Jet Li (in his international film debut). It is the fourth insta ...

'', The Master in '' Zen Noir'', and Mr. Kim in ''

''. He also played the recurring villain "The Eggman" in the cult science fiction series ''

Now and Again ''Now and Again'' is an American science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Glenn Gordon Caron that aired from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the pe ...

'', and a cameo waiter in Private Parts. Kim also played the character Lo Si aka: "The Ancient" in 52 episodes of " Kung Fu: The Legend Continues" from 1993 thru 1997. Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was a revised version of the original 1973 classic,

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

with both series starring

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

. In November 1999, Screen Actors Guild presented Chan with an award for lifetime achievement. Chan received another award for lifetime achievement in August 2004, at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. In October 2009, a year after his death, Chan appeared on the cover of ''

The Gerontologist ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Kim Chan's obituary

The Low Rent Kim Chan Fan Club
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Kim 1917 births 2008 deaths American male film actors Republic of China (1912–1949) emigrants to the United States Male actors from Guangdong Chinese male film actors 20th-century American male actors