Richard Loo(1903-1983)

Actor

In 19th century San Francisco's Chinatown, American adventurer Gilbert De Quincey is saving slave girls owned by the Chinese Tong factions.

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Confessions of an Opium Eater (1962)

One of the most familiar Asian character actors in American films of the 1930s and 1940s, Richard Loo was most often stereotyped as the Japanese enemy flier, spy or interrogator during the Second World War. Chinese by ancestry and Hawaiian by birth, Loo spent his youth in Hawaii, then moved to California as a teenager. He attended the University of California and attempted a career in business. However, the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent economic depression forced him to start over. He became involved with amateur, then professional, theater companies and in 1931 made his first film. Like most Asian actors in non-Asian countries, he played primarily small, stereotypical roles, though he rose quickly to familiarity, if not fame, in a number of fine films. His features led him to be a favorite movie villain, and the coming of World War II gave him greater prominence in roles as vicious Japanese soldiers in successful pictures such as The Purple Heart (1944) and God Is My Co-Pilot (1945). He had a rare heroic role as a weary Japanese-American soldier in the Korean War drama The Steel Helmet (1951), but spent far too much of his career in later years performing stock roles. His wife, Bessie Loo, was a well-known Hollywood agent.

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Known for

The Man with the Golden Gun

6.7

Hai Fat

1974

The Steel Helmet

7.4

Sgt. Tanaka

1951

The Quiet American

6.6

Mr. Heng

1958

Back to Bataan

6.6

Maj. Hasko

1945

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

The Incredible Hulk
7.0
TV Series
- Kam Chong
- 1981
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
7.3
TV Series
- Chen Lee
- 1977
Police Story
7.5
TV Series
- Eddie Lee
- 1977
The Quest
7.0
TV Series
- Dr. Li Po
- 1976
Collision Course: Truman vs. MacArthur
7.0
TV Movie
- Chiang-Kai-Shek
- 1976
The Man with the Golden Gun
6.7
- Hai Fat
- 1974
Kung Fu
7.6
TV Series
- Master Sun
- Ho Fai, The Weapons Master
- Wu Chang ...
- 1972–1974
Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law
6.9
TV Series
- Tanaka
- 1974
McCloud
6.9
TV Series
- Y.S. Chen (uncredited)
- 1973
Ironside
6.9
TV Series
- Lin Chu Tai
- 1973
The Delphi Bureau
7.3
TV Series
- Shen Si
- 1972
The Sixth Sense
7.1
TV Series
- Matsuo
- 1972
Chandler
4.4
- Leo
- 1971
One More Train to Rob
5.7
- Mr. Chang
- 1971
Which Way to the Front?
4.6
- Japanese Naval Officer (uncredited)
- 1970

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Personal details

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Height
- 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
Born
- October 1, 1903
- Maui, Hawaii, USA
Died
- November 20, 1983
- Los Angeles, California, USA(cerebral hemorrhage)
Spouses
Other works
Stage: Appeared in "South Pacific" on Broadway. Musical drama. Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan (I). Based on "Tales of the South Pacific" by James A. Michener. Musical Director: Salvatore Dell'Isola. Music orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett. Musical staging by Joshua Logan. Scenic Design by Jo Mielziner. Lighting Design by link=nm0585758]. Costume Design by Motley. Assistant to Mr. Mielziner: John Harvey and Furth Ullman. Directed by Joshua Logan. Majestic Theatre: (moved to The Broadway Theatre from 29 Jun 1953-close) 7 Apr 1949-16 Jan 1954 (1925 performances). Cast: Mary Martin (as "Ens. Nellie Forbush"), Ezio Pinza (as "Emile de Becque"), Juanita Hall, Myron McCormick (as "Luther Billis"), Betta St. John, Harvey Stephens (as "Cmdr. William Harbison, U.S.N."), William Tabbert, Martin Wolfson (as "Capt. George Brackett, U.S.N."), Mardi Bayne, Evelyn Colby, Michael De Leon, Noel De Leon, Sandra Deel, Bill Dwyer, Dickinson Eastham, Don Fellows, William Ferguson, Jacqueline Fisher, Jack Fontan, Alan Gilbert, Thomas Gleason, Jim Hawthorne, Richard Loo (as "Marcel, Henry's Assistant" / "Ensemble"), Roslynd Lowe, BarBara Luna, Biff McGuire, Gloria Meli, Henry Michel, Alex Nicol (I), Pat Northrop, Mary Ann Reeve, Fred Sadoff, Bernice Saunders, Archie Savage (as "Abner"), Helena Schurgot, Richard Silvera, Henry Slate, Eugene Smith, Beau Tilden (as "Seaman James Hayes"), Musa Williams, Chin Yu. Replacement actors during the Majestic Theatre run: Fabian Acosta (as "Jerome") [Alternate], Leigh Allen (as "Ens. Lisa Minelli"), George Armand (as "Jerome") [Alternate], Mardi Bayne (as "Ens. Pamela Whitmore"), George Britton (as "Emile de Becque"), Dort Clark (as "Stewpot"), Helen Clayton (as "Ens. Connie Walewska"), Cristanta Cornejo (as "Ngana") [Alternate], Robert Cortazal (as "Jerome") [Alternate], Diosa Costello (as "Bloody Mary"; final Broadway role), Donald Covert (as "Ensemble"), Dolores Decin (as "Ngana") [Alternate], William Diehl (as "Seaman Gustl Schulz"), Bill Dwyer (as "Lt. Buzz Adams"), Betty Early (as "Ens. Dinah Murphy"), Don Fellows (as "Seabee Richard West"), Pat Finch (as "Ens. Lisa Minelli"), Betty Gillett (as "Ens. Cora MacRae"), Betty Gillette (as "Lt. Genevieve Marshall"), Thomas Griffin (as "Jerome") [Alternate], Arthur Hammond (as "Pvt. Victor Moulton"), Steve Holland (I) (as "Radio Operator Bob McCaffrey"), Joan Kavanagh (as "Ens. Pamela Whitmore"), Peter Kelley (as "Seaman Tom O'Brien"), Mimi Kelly (as "Ens. Janet MacGregor"), Cloris Leachman (as "Ens. Nellie Forbush"), Don Leslie (as "Ensemble"), Karen Lewis (as "Ens. Connie Walewska"), Christina Lind (as "Ens. Sue Yaeger"), Roberta MacDonald (as "Ens. Sue Yaeger"), Patricia Marand (as "Lt. Genevieve Marshall"; Broadway debut), Virginia Martin (as "Ens. Bessie Noonan"), Dorothy Maruki (as "Ensemble"), Melle Matthews (as "Ens. Sue Yaeger"), William McGraw (as "Ensemble" / "Seaman Tom O'Brien" / "Yeoman Herbert Quale"), Ray Middleton (as "Emile de Becque"), Merle Muskal (as "Ens. Janet MacGregor"), Odette Myrtil (as "Bloody Mary"), Betty O'Neil (as "Ens. Sue Yaeger"), Jose Perez (as "Jerome") {Alternate], Albert Popwell (as "Abner"), Dorothy Richards (as "Lt. Genevieve Marshall"), Roger Rico (as "Emile de Becque"), Robert Rippy (as "Petty Officer Hamilton Steves"), Steve Roland (as "Seaman Tom O'Brien"), Gene Saks (as "Professor"; Broadway debut), Irma Sandre (as "Liat"), Eugene Smith (as "Seaman Thomas Hassinger"), Peter Smith (as "Seaman Tom O'Brien"), Maria Suarez (as "Ngana") [Alternate], Bill Thunhurst (as "Radio Operator Bob McCaffrey"), Webb Tilton (as "Seabee Richard West"), Bunny Warner (as "Ngana") [Alternate], Jack Weston (as "Stewpot"), Musa Williams (as "Bloody Mary"), Billie Worth (as "Ens. Janet MacGregor"), Martha Wright (as "Ens. Nellie Forbush"). Understudies: Dort Clark (as "Luther Billis"), Rosalie Davella (as "Ngana"), William Diehl (as "Lt. Joseph Cable, U.S.M.C."), Betty Early (as "Ens. Nellie Forbush"), George Finn (as "Jerome"), Steve Holland (as "Stewpot"), Mimi Kelly (as "Ens. Nellie Forbush"), Dorothy Maruki (as "Liat"), Bill Thunhurst (as "Lt. Joseph Cable, U.S.M.C."), Webb Tilton (as "Emile de Becque"), Jack Weston (as "Luther Billis"), Billie Worth (as "Ens. Nellie Forbush"). Replacement actor during Broadway Theatre run: Shirley Jones. Produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Produced in association with Leland Hayward and Joshua Logan. NOTE: Filmed as South Pacific (1958).