Kim Chan

{{for|the Korean footballer|Kim Chan (footballer)}}

{{short description|Chinese actor}}

{{more citations needed|date=December 2009}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Kim Chan

|image =

|caption =

|birth_date = December 28, 1917

|birth_place = Guangdong, Republic of China

|death_date = {{death date and age|2008|10|5|1917|12|28}}

|death_place = Brooklyn, New York, United States

|yearsactive = 1951–2007

}}

Kim Chan (December 28, 1917 – October 5, 2008) was a Chinese–American actor and producer. He was most notable for his roles as Lo Si, a.k.a. The Ancient, in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and Mr. Kim in The Fifth Element.

Early life, family and education

Kim Shung Chan was born in Guangdong, then under the government of the Republic of China. His father was a restaurant owner. Kim Chan emigrated to the US in 1928.{{cite web | url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/62/Kim-Chan.html | title= Kim Chan Biography (1917-2008)| website= filmreference.com| date =| accessdate =}}

Career

Chan was a familiar character actor, especially when he was elderly. An early role that brought him notice was in the Martin Scorsese classic The King of Comedy with Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, in which he played Lewis' butler.{{cite news | last= Grimes| first= William| date= 2008-10-09| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/arts/television/10chan.html| title = Kim Chan, Who Had Roles in TV and ‘King of Comedy,’ Is Dead| work =The New York Times| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20180105121536/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/arts/television/10chan.html| archivedate = 2018-01-05| accessdate = 2024-05-31}}

He played the character Lo Si a.k.a. The Ancient in 52 episodes of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues from 1993 thru 1997. He also played the villainous monk Ping Hai on the TV series. The series was a revised version of the original 1973 classic, Kung Fu with both series starring David Carradine. He played the recurring villain The Eggman in four episodes of the science fiction TV series Now and Again. He appeared in many guest roles in series, including Mad About You (1998), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2002), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004).

Other film roles include Uncle Benny Chan in Lethal Weapon 4(1998), the father of Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) in Shanghai Knights(2003), Mr. Kim in The Fifth Element (1997), Fuji in Who's the Man? (1993), Benny Wong in The Corruptor(1999), The Master in Zen Noir (2004), and a cameo appearance as a waiter in Private Parts (1997). He was also a producer on Zen Noir.

He was featured in a photography exhibit when he was in his 90s. In October 2009, a year after his death, Chan appeared on the cover of the journal The Gerontologist beside his photography portrait.{{cite web|last= Levine|first=Jeffrey| work=The Gerontologist| url=http://gerontologist.oxfordjournals.org/content/49/5.cover-expansion| title= Cover Photo|publisher=Oxford Journals|accessdate=16 January 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl= https://archive.today/20140116215636/http://gerontologist.oxfordjournals.org/content/49/5.cover-expansion|archivedate= 16 January 2014}}

Honors and awards

In November 1999, the Screen Actors Guild presented Chan with an award for lifetime achievement.{{cite news|last=Millis|first=Mike|title=SAG to Honor Veteran Actor Kim Chan|url=http://business.highbeam.com/3907/article-1G1-57764422/sag-honor-veteran-actor-kim-chan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117155719/http://business.highbeam.com/3907/article-1G1-57764422/sag-honor-veteran-actor-kim-chan|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 January 2014|accessdate=16 January 2014|newspaper=Back Stage|date=5 November 1999}} He received another award for lifetime achievement in August 2004 at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.{{cite press release |title= RIIFF Awards|url=http://www.film-festival.org/awardswin04.php|work= film-festival.org |accessdate=16 January 2014}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ {{Screen reader-only| Kim Chan film credits}}

YearTitleRoleNotes
1957

| A Face in the Crowd

| Commercial Spokesperson

| No Dialogue / Uncredited

1970

| The Owl and the Pussycat

| Theatre Cashier

|

1979

| Squadra antigangsters

| Chan Chu Kai

| Uncredited

1982

| Soup for One

| Harold The Cook

|

1983

| The King of Comedy

| Jonno

|

1984

| Over the Brooklyn Bridge

| Japanese Buyer #2

|

1984

| Moscow on the Hudson

| Chinese Customer

|

1984

| The Cotton Club

| Ling

|

1985

| Desperately Seeking Susan

| Park Bum

|

1985

| Streetwalkin'

| Desk Clerk

|

1986

| 9½ Weeks

| Chinatown Butcher

|

1986

| Gung Ho

| Member of Board

|

1986

| Jumpin' Jack Flash

| Korean Flower Vendor

|

1986

| No Mercy

| Old Asian Man

|

1987

| Fatal Attraction

| Party Guest

| Uncredited

1989

| Cookie

| Hong Kong Tailor

|

1989

| Second Sight

| Chinese Store Owner

|

1990

| Cadillac Man

| Dim Sum Cook

|

1990

| Alice

| Dr. Yang's Patient

|

1991

| Thousand Pieces of Gold

| Li Ping

|

1991

| American Shaolin

| Master Kwan

|

1993

| Who's the Man?

| Fuji

|

1994

| Robot in the Family

| Massage Parlor Patron #1

|

1996

| Breathing Room

| Meditation Teacher

|

1997

| Private Parts

| Waiter

|

1997

| The Fifth Element

| Mr. Kim

|

1997

| The Devil's Advocate

| Chinese Man

|

1997

| Kundun

| Second Chinese General

|

1998

| Lethal Weapon 4

| Benny 'Uncle Benny' Chan

|

1999

| A Fish in the Bathtub

| Medicine Shop Owner

|

1999

| The Corruptor

| Benny 'Uncle Benny' Wong

|

1999

| On the Q.T.

| Asian Busker

|

2002

| High Times' Potluck

| Saki

|

2003

| Shanghai Knights

| Chon Wang's Father

|

2004

| Zen Noir

| The Master

|

2005

| The Honeymooners

| Quinn

|

2006

| 16 Blocks

| Sam

|

=Television=

{{incomplete list|date=April 2025}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ {{Screen reader-only| Kim Chan television credits}}

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985The EqualizerMan Sitting on Steps (uncredited)Episode: "China Rain"
1986

| Outlaws

| Mr. Luk

| {{Citation needed|date=April 2025|reason=Kim Chan not found in Outlaws (1986 TV series) article, nor at IMDb}}

1990

| Law & Order

| Juror (uncredited)

| Episode: "Indifference"

1991

| Law & Order

| Restaurant Manager

| Episode: "Heaven"

1993–1997

| Kung Fu: The Legend Continues

| Lo Si (The Ancient) / Ping Hai

| 54 episodes

1999–2000

| Now and Again

| The Eggman

| 4 episodes

2002

| Law & Order: Criminal Intent

| Mr. Hsu

| Episode: "Chinoiserie"

2004

| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

| Mr. Zhang

| Episode: "Debt"

References

{{reflist}}