Victor Sen Yung
Encyclopedia
Victor Sen Yung was an American
character actor
. He was given billing under a variety of names, including Sen Yung, Sen Young, Victor Sen Young, and Victor Young.
replaced the recently deceased Warner Oland
as Charlie Chan
and Sen Yung replaced Oland's "number one son" Lee, who had been played by Keye Luke
. Sen Yung played Jimmy Chan in 11 Charlie Chan films between 1938 and 1942. In 1940 he played a minor but crucial role of lawyer's clerk Ong Chi Seng alongside Bette Davis
in The Letter
In common with other Chinese-American actors, Sen Yung was cast in Japanese parts during World War II, such as his role as the treacherous Japanese-American Joe Totsuito in the 1942 Humphrey Bogart
film Across the Pacific
. In the 1942 Chan film. Castle in the Desert, Jimmy Chan helps his father solve a mystery while on leave from the Army. Art mirrored life, as Sen Yung later joined the U.S. Army Air Forces. During his military service, he was replaced in the Charlie Chan series by Benson Fong
, who played "number three son," Tommy Chan. Yung's military service included work in training films at the First Motion Picture Unit
and a role in the Army Air Forces' play and film Winged Victory
.
After the war, Sen Yung resumed his Hollywood career. The Charlie Chan series was now in the hands of Monogram Pictures
, with Sidney Toler continuing in the leading role. Toler's health was failing by 1946; author Scott MacGillivray
contends that Monogram was conserving Toler's energy and shooting around him wherever possible, even reusing two-year-old footage to finish Toler's last film. To relieve the burden on Toler, Monogram hired his original screen foil, Sen Yung (now billing himself as Victor Sen Young). He and Mantan Moreland
shared the spotlight in Toler's final two films, Shadows over Chinatown and The Trap. Following Toler's death in 1947, Sen Yung made five additional Chan films with Roland Winters
playing Charlie Chan. Curiously, in the Roland Winters films, Sen Yung played Tommy Chan, not Jimmy; MacGillivray suspects that the producers thought "Jimmy" was too closely associated with the late Sidney Toler and wanted to avoid comparisons.
Victor Sen Young continued to work in motion pictures but moved into television, playing affable or earnest Asian characters. He is probably best remembered as Hop Sing, the cook on the long-running television series Bonanza
, appearing in 102 episodes between 1959 and 1973. Sen Yung authored The Great Wok Cookbook in 1974.
plane on which Yung was a passenger was hjiacked. The FBI stormed the plane, and in the ensuing gunfire Sen Yung was shot in the back. He and another wounded passenger survived, but a third passenger and the two hijackers died.
In 1975, he appeared on Garry Moore
's To Tell The Truth
show and related the events of the hijacking. With Yung dressed in a sport coat and flanked by two dissimilar imposters, none of the four panelists was able to choose him as the character actor.
There is a memorial scholarship named after him, awarded each year by the Chinese Alumni Association of his alma mater, University of California, Berkeley
, where he had majored in animal husbandry
. The eulogy at his funeral was delivered by fellow Bonanza actor Pernell Roberts
. Victor Sen Yung was interred at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, California
near San Francisco.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
. He was given billing under a variety of names, including Sen Yung, Sen Young, Victor Sen Young, and Victor Young.
Career
Sen Yung first made his mark in the 1938 film Charlie Chan in Honolulu, as the Chinese detective's "number two son," Jimmy Chan. In this movie, Sidney TolerSidney Toler
Sidney Hooper Toler was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. Of primarily Scottish ancestry, he was the second non-Asian actor to play the role of Charlie Chan.-Early life and career:...
replaced the recently deceased Warner Oland
Warner Oland
Warner Oland was a Swedish American actor most remembered for his screen role as the detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:He was born Johan Verner Ölund in the village of Nyby, Bjurholm Municipality,...
as Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
and Sen Yung replaced Oland's "number one son" Lee, who had been played by Keye Luke
Keye Luke
Keye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...
. Sen Yung played Jimmy Chan in 11 Charlie Chan films between 1938 and 1942. In 1940 he played a minor but crucial role of lawyer's clerk Ong Chi Seng alongside Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
in The Letter
The Letter (1940 film)
The Letter is a 1940 American film noir directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Howard Koch is based on the 1927 play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham, originally filmed in 1929.-Plot:...
In common with other Chinese-American actors, Sen Yung was cast in Japanese parts during World War II, such as his role as the treacherous Japanese-American Joe Totsuito in the 1942 Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
film Across the Pacific
Across the Pacific
Across the Pacific is a 1942 spy film set on the eve of the entry of the United States into World War II. The film was directed first by John Huston, then by Vincent Sherman after Huston joined the United States Army Signal Corps...
. In the 1942 Chan film. Castle in the Desert, Jimmy Chan helps his father solve a mystery while on leave from the Army. Art mirrored life, as Sen Yung later joined the U.S. Army Air Forces. During his military service, he was replaced in the Charlie Chan series by Benson Fong
Benson Fong
Benson Fong was a Chinese American character actor.Born in Sacramento, California, Fong was from a mercantile family...
, who played "number three son," Tommy Chan. Yung's military service included work in training films at the First Motion Picture Unit
First Motion Picture Unit
The First Motion Picture Unit was the first unit of the United States Military to be made up entirely of motion picture personnel. It was also the title of a 1943 documentary about the unit.-Organization:...
and a role in the Army Air Forces' play and film Winged Victory
Winged Victory (play)
Winged Victory is a play and, later, a film by Moss Hart, originally created and produced by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II as a morale booster and as a fundraiser for the Army Emergency Relief Fund. Upon recommendation of Lt. Col. Dudley S. Dean, who had been approached with the...
.
After the war, Sen Yung resumed his Hollywood career. The Charlie Chan series was now in the hands of Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
, with Sidney Toler continuing in the leading role. Toler's health was failing by 1946; author Scott MacGillivray
Scott MacGillivray
Scott MacGillivray is an American non-fiction author specializing in motion picture history.His book Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward, revised and expanded in 2009, chronicles the later films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy...
contends that Monogram was conserving Toler's energy and shooting around him wherever possible, even reusing two-year-old footage to finish Toler's last film. To relieve the burden on Toler, Monogram hired his original screen foil, Sen Yung (now billing himself as Victor Sen Young). He and Mantan Moreland
Mantan Moreland
Mantan Moreland was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Career:Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Moreland began acting by the time he was an adolescent, reportedly running away to join the circus...
shared the spotlight in Toler's final two films, Shadows over Chinatown and The Trap. Following Toler's death in 1947, Sen Yung made five additional Chan films with Roland Winters
Roland Winters
Roland Winters was an American actor who portrayed Charlie Chan in six films.-Biography:Born Roland Winternitz in Boston, Massachusetts on 22 December 1904, Winters was the son of Felix Winternitz, a violinist and composer who was teaching at New England Conservatory of Music...
playing Charlie Chan. Curiously, in the Roland Winters films, Sen Yung played Tommy Chan, not Jimmy; MacGillivray suspects that the producers thought "Jimmy" was too closely associated with the late Sidney Toler and wanted to avoid comparisons.
Victor Sen Young continued to work in motion pictures but moved into television, playing affable or earnest Asian characters. He is probably best remembered as Hop Sing, the cook on the long-running television series Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
, appearing in 102 episodes between 1959 and 1973. Sen Yung authored The Great Wok Cookbook in 1974.
Plane hijacking
In 1972, a Pacific Southwest AirlinesPacific Southwest Airlines
Pacific Southwest Airlines was a United States airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1988. It was one of the first large discount airlines in the United States and is considered a precursor to Southwest Airlines...
plane on which Yung was a passenger was hjiacked. The FBI stormed the plane, and in the ensuing gunfire Sen Yung was shot in the back. He and another wounded passenger survived, but a third passenger and the two hijackers died.
In 1975, he appeared on Garry Moore
Garry Moore
Garry Moore was an American entertainer, game show host and comedian best known for his work in television...
's To Tell The Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
show and related the events of the hijacking. With Yung dressed in a sport coat and flanked by two dissimilar imposters, none of the four panelists was able to choose him as the character actor.
Death
Victor Sen Yung died under unusual circumstances in his North Hollywood home in 1980. The actor, who ran a small mail-order Chinese pottery business, was creating clayware and curing the items with an oven, and died of natural gas poisoning from a gas leak. His body was found November 10, but he had reportedly been dead at least ten days. Some reports suggested at first that the actor had been murdered, but police ultimately ruled the death accidental.There is a memorial scholarship named after him, awarded each year by the Chinese Alumni Association of his alma mater, University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he had majored in animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
. The eulogy at his funeral was delivered by fellow Bonanza actor Pernell Roberts
Pernell Roberts
Pernell Elvin Roberts, Jr. was an American stage, movie and television actor, as well as a singer. In addition to guest starring in over 60 television series, he was widely known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son, Adam Cartwright, on the western series Bonanza, a role he played from...
. Victor Sen Yung was interred at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, California
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
near San Francisco.
Partial Filmography
- The Man with Bogart's FaceThe Man with Bogart's FaceThe Man with Bogart's Face is a 1980 comedy film, released by 20th Century Fox and based on a novel of the same name. Andrew J...
(19801980 in film- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
) - The Killer EliteThe Killer EliteThe Killer Elite is a 1975 American action thriller film starring James Caan and Robert Duvall and directed by Sam Peckinpah.The screenplay was written by Marc Norman and Stirling Silliphant adapted from the Robert Syd Hopkins novel, Monkey in the Middle. The novel was written under Hopkins'...
(19751975 in filmThe year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
) - The Red Pony (1973) (TV series)
- Kung FuKung Fu (TV series)Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
(1972) (TV series) - The HawaiiansThe Hawaiians (film)The Hawaiians is a 1970 American historical film based on the novel Hawaii by James A. Michener. It was directed by Tom Gries with a screenplay by James R. Webb. The cast included Charlton Heston as Whipple Hoxworth, and Geraldine Chaplin...
(19701970 in filmThe year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
) - A Flea in Her Ear (19681968 in filmThe year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
), aka La Puce à l'oreille in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Confessions of an Opium Eater (19621962 in filmThe year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
) - Flower Drum SongFlower Drum SongFlower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...
(19611961 in filmThe year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
) - Perry MasonPerry MasonPerry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
(TV series), The Case of the Malicious Mariner (1961) Sheng - Perry MasonPerry MasonPerry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
(TV series), The Case of the Garrulous Gambler (1959) Mickey Fong - BonanzaBonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
(TV series), Hop Sing (1959-1973) - The Hunters (19581958 in filmThe year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
) - The Saga of Hemp Brown (1958)
- Bachelor Father (TV series), Charlie Fong (1957-62)
- Men in WarMen in WarMen in War is a war film about the Korean War directed by Anthony Mann. It stars Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray as the leaders of a small detachment of American soldiers cut off and desperately trying to rejoin their division. The events of the film take place on one day; 6 September 1950...
(1957) - Soldier of FortuneSoldier of Fortune (film)Soldier of Fortune is a 1955 adventure film about the rescue of an American held prisoner in the People's Republic of China in the 1950s. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk, starred Clark Gable and Susan Hayward and was written by Ernest K...
(19551955 in filmThe year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
) - Blood AlleyBlood AlleyBlood Alley is a 1955 seafaring adventure movie starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall set in China.-Background:The film was written by Albert Sidney Fleischman from his novel, directed by William Wellman and was produced by Wayne's Batjac Productions...
(1955) - The Left Hand of GodThe Left Hand of GodThe Left Hand of God is a 1955 drama film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Buddy Adler, from a screenplay by Alfred Hayes, based on the novel The Left Hand of God by William Edmund Barrett. It stars Humphrey Bogart and Gene Tierney, with a supporting cast...
(1955) - Trader Tom of the China SeasTrader Tom of the China SeasTrader Tom of the China Seas is a Republic film serial. In 1966 the serial was edited into a 100-minute television film with the new title Target: Sea of China.-Cast:* Harry Lauter as Tom Rogers* Aline Towne as Vivian Wells...
(1954) - The Law and the Lady (1951)
- Valley of Fire (1951)
- Chinatown at Midnight (1950)
- Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949)
- The Feathered SerpentThe Feathered Serpent (film)The Feathered Serpent is a 1948 mystery film, the fifth of six in which Roland Winters portrayed Charlie Chan. It is the only Chan film which featured both Keye Luke and Victor Sen Yung together. Luke had been popular in the Warner Oland Chan films while Yung appeared primarily in the Sidney...
(1948), Tommy Chan - The Flame (1947)
- Shadows Over ChinatownShadows Over ChinatownShadows Over Chinatown is the second to last film featuring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan.- Synopsis :Chan investigates a murder for profit racket in San Francisco...
(1946), Jimmy Chan - Dangerous Millions (1946)
- China (1943) (as Sen Yung)
- Across the PacificAcross the PacificAcross the Pacific is a 1942 spy film set on the eve of the entry of the United States into World War II. The film was directed first by John Huston, then by Vincent Sherman after Huston joined the United States Army Signal Corps...
(1942) (as Sen Young) - Castle in the DesertCastle in the DesertCastle in the Desert is a 1942 film featuring the Asian detective Charlie Chan. It was the eleventh film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, and the last made by 20th Century Fox...
(1942) (as Sen Yung), Jimmy Chan - Moontide' (1942)
- Dead Men TellDead Men Tell-Cast:* Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan* Sen Yung as Jimmy Chan* Sheila Ryan as Kate Ransome* Robert Weldon as Steve Daniels* Don Douglas as Jed Thomasson* Katharine Aldridge as Laura Thursday* Paul McGrath as Charles Thursday / Mr. Parks...
(1941), Jimmy Chan - The LetterThe Letter (1940 film)The Letter is a 1940 American film noir directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Howard Koch is based on the 1927 play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham, originally filmed in 1929.-Plot:...
(1940) (as Sen Yung) - Charlie Chan at the Wax MuseumCharlie Chan at the Wax MuseumCharlie Chan at the Wax Museum is a 1940 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as detective Charlie Chan.-Cast:*Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan*Victor Sen Yung as Jimmy Chan *C. Henry Gordon as Dr. Cream*Marc Lawrence as Steve McBirney...
(1940) (as Sen Yung), Jimmy Chan - 20,000 Men a Year (1939)
- Shadows Over Shanghai (1938) (as Victor Young)