Keye Luke

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For the 2012 short film, see Keye Luke (film).
Keye Luke
陸錫麒
Keye Luke publicity 1.jpg
Luke in Charlie Chan publicity photo
Born(1904-06-18)June 18, 1904
Guangzhou, China
DiedJanuary 12, 1991(1991-01-12) (aged 86)
Whittier, California, U.S.
Resting placeRose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActor
Years active1934–1991
Spouse(s)
Ethel Davis
(m. 1942; died 1979)
Children1
RelativesEdwin Luke (brother)
Signature
Keye Luke Signature.png

Keye Luke (traditional Chinese: 陸錫麒; simplified Chinese: 陆锡麒; pinyin: Lù Xīqí, Cantonese: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild.[1][2]

He was known for playing Lee Chan, the "Number One Son" in the Charlie Chan films, the original Kato in the 1939–1941 Green Hornet film serials, Brak in the 1960s Space Ghost cartoons, Master Po in the television series Kung Fu, and Mr. Wing in the Gremlins films.

He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed by RKO, Universal Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was one of the most prominent Asian actors of American cinema in the mid-20th century.[3]

Early life[edit]

Luke was born in Guangzhou, China, to a father who owned an art shop, but grew up in Seattle.[3] He was part of the Luke family, a relative of Washington assistant attorney-general Wing Luke, for whom Seattle's Wing Luke Asian Museum was named.

He had four siblings who all emigrated from China to California during the Great Depression. His younger brother Edwin Luke also became an actor in the Charlie Chan series.

In Seattle, Luke attended Franklin High School, where he contributed cartoons and illustrations to school publications.[4] Keye Luke became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1944—in a moment fictionally recreated in Lisa See's novel Shanghai Girls.

Artist[edit]

Before becoming an actor he was a local artist in Seattle and, later, Hollywood, working on several of the murals inside Grauman's Chinese Theatre. He did some of the original artwork for the 1933 King Kong pressbook. Luke also painted the casino's mural in The Shanghai Gesture.

He published a limited edition set of pen and ink drawings of The Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam in the 1950s. He also created illustrations for the books The Unfinished Song of Achmed Mohammed by Earle Liederman, Blessed Mother Goose by Frank Scully and an edition of Messer Marco Polo by Brian Oswald Donn-Byrne (unpublished).[4] Other art done by Luke included the dust jackets for books published in the 1950s and 1960s. It was through his studio art work that he was recruited for his first movie roles.

Acting career[edit]

Luke made his film debut in The Painted Veil (1934), and the following year gained his first big role, as Charlie Chan's eldest son in Charlie Chan in Paris. He worked so well with Warner Oland, the actor playing Chan, that "Number One Son" became a regular character in the series, alternately helping and distracting 'Pop' Chan in each of his murder cases.[5] Luke appeared seven times as Lee Chan opposite Oland's Chan. Keye Luke left the Charlie Chan series in 1938, shortly after Oland died. The unfinished Oland-Luke film Charlie Chan at the Ringside was completed as Mr. Moto's Gamble, with Luke now opposite Peter Lorre.

Unlike some performers who failed to establish themselves beyond a single role, Keye Luke continued to work prolifically in Hollywood, at several studios. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cast him in a recurring role in its Dr. Kildare film series, and Monogram Pictures featured him in its Frankie Darro comedies and starred him as Mr. Wong in Phantom of Chinatown. Unlike Boris Karloff, who had preceded him in the Mr. Wong role, Luke played the detective without any exotic touches. Though his Mr. Wong was of Chinese descent and able to speak Chinese, he was otherwise an ordinary American gumshoe, with no trace of a foreign accent or "Oriental" philosophy.

RKO Radio Pictures used Luke in its popular adventures of The Falcon and Mexican Spitfire. Luke also worked at Universal Pictures, where he played two-fisted valet/chauffeur Kato in its Green Hornet serials. In 1946 Universal mounted a low-budget serial consisting largely of action footage from older films; Keye Luke was hired to match old footage of Sabu in the serial Lost City of the Jungle.

In 1948, Keye Luke returned to the Chan mysteries, which were now being produced by Monogram and starred Roland Winters as Chan. "Number One Son" appeared in the last two Chan features, The Feathered Serpent along with "Number Two Son" Tommy Chan (Victor Sen Yung) in their only appearance together, and Sky Dragon. In both of these films, Luke was older than the actor playing his father. Luke had a featured Broadway role in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song, directed by Gene Kelly in 1958. The soundtrack album captures his singing of the part of Mr. Wang, the family patriarch.

Luke continued to play character parts in motion pictures. He had a featured role in The Chairman (1969) starring Gregory Peck. He provided the voice of the evil Mr. Han in Enter the Dragon (1973) starring Bruce Lee. Luke played the mysterious old Chinatown shopowner Mr. Wing in the two Gremlins movies and he had a significant role in Woody Allen's 1990 movie Alice.

Luke as Master Po in Kung Fu

Keye Luke also worked extensively in television, making numerous guest appearances, including four on The F.B.I. and seven TV movies. He was a regular cast member in two short lived sitcoms, Anna and the King (1972) starring Yul Brynner and Sidekicks (1986–87). "Number One Son" ascended to the role of Charlie Chan himself, thus becoming the first actor of Chinese descent to play the role: he supplied the voice of "Mr. Chan" in the animated television series The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (1972).

He was also known for his role of Master Po in the television series Kung Fu (1972–75). In 1985, Luke played 'The Ancient One' on the soap opera General Hospital, for the Asian Quarter storyline, which showcased strong chemistry between Luke and young actress Kimberly McCullough, whom he mentored. In 1986, Luke appeared in season two of "The Golden Girls" as Sophia's love interest. Additionally Luke voiced many animated series including Brak in Space Ghost, the aforementioned Charlie Chan, and Zoltar/The Great Spirit/Colonel Cronus in Battle of the Planets.

Keye Luke (1976)

Luke played Governor Donald Cory in an episode of the original Star Trek entitled "Whom Gods Destroy" (1969), and was going to play Doctor Noonien Soong in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Brothers" but illness prevented him from doing so; Brent Spiner ultimately took over the role.

In the Fractured Fairy Tales episode "The Enchanted Fly," one of the rewards offered to the man who would rescue and marry the princess is "an autographed picture of Keye Luke."

Honours[edit]

He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Asian/Pacific American Artists in 1986. For his contribution to show business, Luke was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on the sidewalk in front of 7000 Hollywood Blvd.

Death[edit]

Luke died of a stroke on January 12, 1991, at the age of 86. He is buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.

Legacy[edit]

Writer and filmmaker Timothy Tau wrote, directed and produced a short film about Keye Luke's earlier life and work, entitled Keye Luke, which premiered at the 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival as a Visual Communications Armed with a Camera Fellowship film.[6][7][8][9] The film was also the Closing Night choice of the inaugural 2013 Seattle Asian American Film Festival.[10][11] Feodor Chin starred as Keye Luke. Archie Kao starred as Edwin Luke, Keye Luke's brother. Kelvin Han Yee starred as Lee Luke, Keye Luke's father.

Filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Flint, Peter B. (January 16, 1991). "Keye Luke, Actor, Is Dead at 86; 'No. 1 Son' and 'Kung Fu' Master". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  2. ^ Obituary Variety, January 21, 1991.
  3. ^ a b Files of Jerry Blake, Keye Luke, http://www.filesofjerryblake.netfirms.com/html/keye_luke.htm[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b "Keye Luke papers, circa 1918-1987". Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  5. ^ Howard M. Berlin, The Who's Who of Charlie Chan's Family, http://www.drberlin.com/chan_family/story.htm
  6. ^ Christopher Stipp, /Film, This Week In Trailers: Keye Luke, Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap, Here, I Wish, The Angels' Share, http://www.slashfilm.com/week-trailers-keye-luke/
  7. ^ Todd Brown, Meet The Original Kato in Short Film Biopic Keye Luke, Twitch Film, http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/04/meet-the-original-kato-in-short-film-biopic-keye-luke.php Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Keye Luke - 2012 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-11. Retrieved 2012-04-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ Ed Moy, Writer's Journey: Q&A with 'Keye Luke' Director Timothy Tau, http://edmoy.blogspot.com/2012/04/q-with-keye-luke-director-timothy-tau.html
  10. ^ Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times, Seattle Asian American Film Festival Gets Under Way, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2013-01-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ Seth Sommerfeld, Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, Kickstarting Kato: Timothy Tau Discusses His Short Film About Keye Luke, http://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-entertainment/film/articles/timothy-tau-discusses-his-short-film-about-keye-luke

Further reading[edit]

  • Ken Hanke, Charlie Chan at the Movies. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1989. ISBN 0-7864-1921-0. (Examination of the Charlie Chan feature films, with firsthand commentary by Keye Luke)
  • Herbie J. Pilato, The Kung Fu Book of Caine: The Complete Guide to TV's First Mystical Eastern Western. Boston: Charles A. Tuttle, 1993. ISBN 0-8048-1826-6
  • Lisa See, Shanghai Girls. New York: Random House, 2008 fictionally recreates Keye Luke's and Anna May Wong's LA Chinatown.
  • Darrell Hamamoto, Monitored Peril: Asian Americans and the Politics of TV Representation, University of Minnesota Press, 1994 has a critical commentary on Luke's cinema.
  • Allan Luke, "Another ethnic autobiography? Childhood and the cultural economy of looking". In: Hammer, R. & Kellner, D. (Eds.) Critical Cultural Studies Reader. Peter Lang, New York, 2008, has a family account of Luke's work. http://lchc.ucsd.edu/MCA/Paper/kellnerhammernojpg.pdf

External links[edit]

Preceded by
None 		Actors portraying Brak
1966-1968 		Succeeded by
C. Martin Croker
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