Willie Fung (3 March 1896 – 16 April 1945) was a Chinese-American film actor who played supporting roles in 125 American films between 1922 and 1944. Like many Chinese actors working in Hollywood during the era, he often played Japanese characters.
Biography
Born in
Canton, China
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kong ...
, Fung made a name for himself as an actor on the stage in San Francisco. After moving to Los Angeles after his uncle's business collapsed during the
depression, Fung — who was reportedly an acquaintance of Jean Harlow's — made his film debut in 1922 in ''Hurricane's Gal''. The majority of his roles were in
Westerns
The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...
and dramas.
Although he was relegated to often-cartoonish bit parts due to the racism of the day, behind the scenes, he made an impact by advocating for fairer treatment of actors by the studios. He reportedly also ran his own Chinese restaurant, the New Moon Café in East Hollywood, while maintaining his acting career. Fung died of a
coronary occlusion in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
on April 16, 1945 at the age of 49. He is buried in
Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery
Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery is a cemetery in Los Angeles at 1831 West Washington Boulevard in the Pico-Union district, southwest of Downtown.
It was founded as Rosedale Cemetery in 1884, when Los Angeles had a population of approximately 28,000, o ...
in Los Angeles.
Partial filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fung, Willie
Chinese male film actors
Chinese male silent film actors
American male film actors
American male silent film actors
20th-century American male actors
Male Western (genre) film actors
1896 births
1945 deaths
Burials at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery
Chinese emigrants to the United States
Male actors from Guangdong
Male actors from Guangzhou
20th-century Chinese male actors