[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 36 (Monday, February 28, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JAMES HONG

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JUDY CHU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 28, 2022

  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize James Hong, a 
venerable actor with one of the most prolific acting careers in 
Hollywood history. I was fortunate enough to meet with Mr. Hong in 
advance of his induction to the Hollywood Walk of Fame where he will 
receive his very own star commemorating his outstanding career. For 
nearly seven decades, Mr. Hong has been gracing our screens with his 
legendary performances, amassing over 672 credits since the outset of 
his career. At 92 years old, Mr. Hong has no intentions of slowing 
down.
  Mr. Hong was born in 1929 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to parents who 
immigrated from China. His father owned a local herb store, one of only 
two stores within the city's Chinatown. It was within these walls that 
Mr. Hong's passion for the arts was cemented when, on weekends, local 
Chinese workers gathered at his father's store and watched as a young 
Mr. Hong put on performances for them.
  While dreams of being an entertainer remained strong as ever, Mr. 
Hong's parents urged him to become an engineer, so he enrolled at the 
University of Minnesota to study civil engineering. But his studies 
were interrupted when he was drafted to the Korean War. While at 
training at Camp McClellan in Alabama, Mr. Hong did some impressions 
for his fellow soldiers and quickly caught the attention of the Camp's 
General. Mr. Hong was ordered to remain at the base to provide 
entertainment to the troops and coordinate public relations with the 
community, preventing him from being deployed to Korea during the war.
  After his service, Mr. Hong completed his civil engineering degree at 
the University of Southern California and worked for the County of Los 
Angeles in road repair. Then in 1954, Mr. Hong appeared on Groucho 
Marx's radio show, ``You Bet Your Life,'' where he did impressions, 
including of Groucho himself. His appearance was so popular that the 
radio show received the second largest amount of fan mail for any 
episode. This appearance kickstarted Mr. Hong's incredible career in 
Hollywood and was one of the first of what would become hundreds and 
hundreds of credits, including ``Chinatown,'' ``Blade Runner,'' 
``Bonanza,'' ``Big Trouble in Little China,'' ``Soldier of Fortune,'' 
``Mulan,'' ``Seinfeld,'' ``The Big Bang Theory'' and so many more.
  Unfortunately, Mr. Hong often faced discrimination on set, and many 
of the roles he was given were stereotypical, demeaning portrayals of 
Chinese people. Faced with the difficult choice of playing a character 
that was written in a racist manner or not working at all, Mr. Hong 
ultimately decided to continue his acting career, but worked tirelessly 
to bring complexity to roles that so frequently lacked humanity.
  Taking his own experiences of discrimination, Mr. Hong set out to 
make the entertainment industry more accessible and humane, and to help 
expose Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) actors to 
opportunities. When given a script for the 1962 film ``The Confessions 
of an Opium Eater,'' Mr. Hong was taken aback by the stereotypical, 
negative depictions of Asian characters. So, he organized a group to 
approach the director to argue that a rewrite of the script was needed 
to make its AAPI characters more human. Even though the director 
ultimately refused a rewrite, Mr. Hong remained committed to advocating 
for better, more just representation.
  These experiences eventually inspired Mr. Hong and fellow actor Mako 
Iwamatsu to form an acting troop for Asian American actors, which 
eventually turned into the renowned theater group, East West Players. 
Since its creation, East West Players has played an instrumental role 
in showcasing productions formulated, designed and executed by AAPI 
creators. On top of that, East West Players fostered a space for AAPI 
artists to express themselves freely and form a community. Mr. Hong's 
dedication to shedding light on the abilities and accomplishments of 
AAPI artists is clear from the group's alumni which include names like 
George Takei, John Cho, Daniel Dae Kim, Randall Park and countless 
others.
  As one of the most accomplished actors in Hollywood history, James 
Hong has entertained and brought joy to innumerable viewers across the 
country and world. Not only has Mr. Hong committed his entire 
professional life to entertainment but has likewise dedicated himself 
to uplifting the abilities and careers of AAPI actors and has therefore 
paved the way for future generations of performers to come. It can be 
said with certainty that Mr. Hong has made an immeasurable, positive 
impact in the performing arts. It is my distinct honor to commemorate 
his career and life.

                          ____________________