LOS ANGELES — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 in March of 2023.
Minneapolis-born, Los Angeles-based actor James Hong will cement his legacy in Tinseltown later this month while celebrating his 95th birthday at Hollywood Boulevard's iconic TCL Chinese Theatre.
Universal Pictures announced Hong's feet and hand imprints will be canonized in cement to commemorate his seven-decade-long career in the entertainment industry and to celebrate his 95th birthday just before the release of his newest project, "Kung Fu Panda 4."
A star was added for Hong on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022 at the age of 93, making him the oldest person to receive the honor.
"From his beginnings as a stand-up comedian in the 1950s to his first uncredited film roles in multiple 1954-55 films, to a multitude of versatile and groundbreaking acting roles, Hong tenaciously pursued his dreams, overcoming the challenges posed by the lack of substantial roles for Asian actors during that era," Universal said in a statement.
Hong, born in Minneapolis on Feb. 22, 1929, has more than 600 credits under his career belt, including 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once, in which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture with the film's ensemble. He also made the Oscar stage that year when the movie won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Picture.
Following the Oscars ceremony, Hong spoke with KARE 11's Heidi Wigdahl about how far he's come not only from the Midwest but as an aspiring Asian actor growing up in Minnesota. He recalled what it was like to experience "hidden prejudice" as a student at Minneapolis Central High School in the mid-to-late-40s.
"It's a British play so she [drama teacher] said, 'Well now where would I put James?' So she just did not even use me in the class play. She just substituted a white actor to play the doctor," Hong said. "So, I experienced that so-called 'hidden prejudice' all through my whole life and came to Hollywood and still, the problem persists.
"I tried my best to get out of that rut and form the East West Players in Los Angeles and that became a big theatrical group performing plays and now it's probably the biggest and even beyond that for Asian actors. They're expanding into another huge building so my efforts of trying to equalize the situation, in a sense, worked. Starting with East West Players until now, The Asians are winning awards all over the place."
Hong's other notable films include, "Blade Runner" (1982); "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986); and "Mulan" (1998) — among hundreds of others.
Hong carries on with the beloved "Kung Fu Panda" franchise as Mr. Ping, with the fourth installment scheduled for release on March 8.
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