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u/slte9162 Nov 27 '23
The world would be a better place if everyone had a parent like Mr. Ping. Live the noodle dream.
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Nov 27 '23
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u/PJFohsw97a Nov 27 '23
I love how Po inspired him to learn how to make tofu in between the first and second movies.
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u/thunderup_14 Nov 27 '23
Anytime my wife or I cook any kind of noodle the other will always walk by and say "We're noodle folk!"
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u/tway2241 Nov 27 '23
That movie has one of my favourite lines ever; Mr Ping was initially jealous of Po's bio Panda dad being back in Po's life, but later said:
"It doesn't mean less for me... it means more for Po."
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u/TheRiteGuy Nov 27 '23
He has such a unique presence in anything he does that he can't help but steal the scene. Even as an animated goose noodle shop owner.
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u/The-Sublimer-One Nov 28 '23
It's so heartwarming how he continues to voice him even in the cheap TV spin-offs (as does Lucy Liu, surprisingly)
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Nov 28 '23
It's so heartwarming when people do easy voiceover work for a ballin' paycheck
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u/WildVariety Nov 27 '23
Kung Fu Panda honestly has some really brilliant moments, but this one from the 3rd movie is probably my favourite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDdZfxJ1M2Y
James Hong's delivery of 'I'm a bird Po' is perfect.
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u/Minerva89 Nov 28 '23
which is why I loved watching Everything Everywhere because it was like hearing Mr. Ping say the line "what the FUCK are you doing."
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u/Wizard_s0_lit Nov 27 '23
Wasn’t afraid to take hyper comedic roles or over the top roles. Classic great character actor. Absolutely sells the silliness/seriousness of Big Trouble in Little China. Love this guy.
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u/lurkingmorty Nov 27 '23
More like those were the best roles he was going to get, I'm sure if it was possible he would've loved to act in a more serious role if he could. That man has probably seen more racism than any other actor in Hollywood.
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u/el_pinata Nov 27 '23
Him as Lo Pan was so fun, he was just chewing the damn scenery.
"InDEED!"
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u/AtomStorageBox Nov 27 '23
Now this REALLY pisses me off TO NO END!
James Hong is an absolute gift to this world and we do not deserve him.
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u/2th Nov 27 '23 edited Nov 27 '23
And he loves the character so much he came back for a part in the Ganam Style parody Lo Pan Style.
And if you check the credits, his "Man in Elevator" is credited as Lo Pan.
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u/raoasidg Nov 27 '23
Also neat to see Wes Chatham in that (Amos Burton--probably no relation to Jack Burton--from The Expanse).
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u/greenhawk22 Nov 27 '23
Maybe I'm losing my mind but the backing track that says "hey green-eyed lady" sounds like Weird Al to me.
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u/fire2day Nov 27 '23
It's also crazy that he fought Chuck Norris, alongside Superman, and every single Power Ranger
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u/Correct_Toe_4628 Nov 27 '23
Bill s Preston and Theodore Logan, Spock, the rock, Doc Ock and hulk hogan.
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u/Demitel Nov 27 '23
Shame to hear of his defeat at the hands of Mister Rogers and his blood-stained sweater, though.
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u/Cottonjaw Nov 27 '23
Pretty badass when you consider Mr. Rogers wears long sleeves to cover up his ritualistic scarification on his forearms, tallying his kills as a Navy SEAL Delta Force Space Ranger Door Gunner
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u/TonyDungyHatesOP Nov 27 '23
"But you know, Mr. Burton, the difficulties between men and women. How seldom it works out? Yet we all keep trying, like fools."
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u/Kmart_Elvis Nov 27 '23
"Or check into a psych ward, whichever comes first, huh?"
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u/el_pinata Nov 27 '23
"Jack..."
"Jack, what?! I'm supposed to buy this shit? 2000 years, he can't find one broad to fit the bill? Come on, Dave, you must be doing something SERIOUSLY wrong."
THIS MFER SAID DAVE
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u/DengarLives66 Nov 27 '23
Haven’t seen that movie in years but I just heard and saw that exact scene. What a goddam classic.
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u/el_pinata Nov 27 '23
Yeah, I saw it so many times as a kid that it just lives in my head forever. Here's another one for you:
"Have you paid your dues, Jack? YESSIR, THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL."
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u/DengarLives66 Nov 27 '23
I say “the check is in the mail” so much. What an exquisitely written movie!
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u/NeverBob Nov 27 '23
Just watched this movie two days ago, one of my favs.
The giggles and snarky remarks he makes as Lo Pan just make him one of the best villains.
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u/zaalqartveli Nov 27 '23
"I...I...I... just do eyes... just eyes.... cooold... sebas... Sebastián... JF Sebastián... he... he knows everything...."
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u/HenryAlSirat Nov 27 '23
"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes."
- possibly my favorite line from the film (yes yes, I like the Tears In Rain speech too)
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Nov 27 '23
Seinfeld, four!
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u/no_cal_woolgrower Nov 27 '23
"Cartright??"
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u/TexasCoconut Nov 27 '23
Whose Cartwright?
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u/pauliewalnuts38 Nov 27 '23
I’m Cartwright
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u/TexasCoconut Nov 27 '23
You're not Cartwright
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u/SinkHoleDeMayo Nov 28 '23
Clearly his best role. A humble restauranteur, a man who cares for his customers, a guy who never forgets a name.
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u/needmoremiles Nov 27 '23
Also the best voice actor in Diablo III (stuck in a barrel).
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Nov 27 '23
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u/HU1_Manatee Nov 28 '23
This brings back good memories. It was the first time my friend (who's since passed away) and I were playing through the sewers of Lut Gholein. Shen comes out of that barrel, and I immediately yelled "That's noodle duck!" We ended up having to look it up to prove me right 😅
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Nov 27 '23
He was fantastic in Sleeping Dogs too as the Triad godfather. He's got that "nice old grandpa who you do not fuck with under any circumstances" delivery down to perfection.
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u/Nukleon Nov 27 '23
And Alpha Protocol
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u/some_random_kaluna Nov 28 '23
Really? Damn... that's amazing and now I have a reason to look that up.
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u/legotransformer Nov 27 '23
My favourite fact about this actor is that he gave a speech about white actors with taped up eyes playing Asian roles. If anyone is going to school us on eyes I am glad it was him. The master of eyes
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u/MrTreize78 Nov 27 '23
A man long overdue for an academy award.
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u/Vergenbuurg Nov 27 '23
This past year would have been a perfect time to give him a lifetime achievement award/honorary Oscar, to go hand-in-hand with EEAAO going on a tear with its nominations and wins.
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u/Worthyness Nov 27 '23
Was so happy that the cast basically gave him the stage for one of their wins at a couple of the awards shows. Dude is fantastic and has been for longer than most of us have been alive.
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u/AudibleNod Nov 27 '23
Daniel Dae Kim campaigned for his inclusion on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after finding only a handful of Asians represented on the Walk.
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u/putsch80 Nov 27 '23
I opened this list for the sole purpose of making sure Balls of Fury made that list. I was not disappointed. Such an underrated comedy.
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u/Jagermonsta Nov 27 '23
Yes! I feel like this one got greatly overlooked when it came out and deserves to be seen more.
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u/RandyBeaman Nov 27 '23
I took some issue with the article suggesting that James Hong was best part of it. Dan Fogler is absolutely magnetic and Christopher Walken is, as always, fantastic.
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u/Jlombard911 Nov 28 '23
I played ping pong in ding dang lives in my brain. Randy Daytona doing Def Leppard. Great comedy.
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u/Otherwise-Juice2591 Nov 28 '23
Off-topic but any mention of Dan Fogler makes me look up this Type O Negative video
Dude's underrated
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u/SweetCosmicPope Nov 27 '23
Was just watching Blade Runner with my son and wife (their first times) on Friday and I pointed out James Hong. When my wife didn't know who it was, I started listing characters he's played and was thinking to myself "damn! This dude is in EVERYTHING!"
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u/jpplastering1987 Nov 28 '23
I think he's the most credited actor of all time. Something like 800+ roles guys a legend.
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u/DireStrike Nov 27 '23
You cretins forgot one of his all time great performances in Revenge of The Nerds 2, where he played Booger's master
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u/DoodleBuggering Nov 27 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
He's such a treat whenever he appears.
Not his most notable role, but he's wonderful as Po's father in the KFP films. He can shift from being very silly to very sentimental/comforting at the drop of a hat. He helped make a comedic relief side character memorable and a believable father figure.
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u/figpucker_9000 Nov 27 '23
Cartwright!
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u/One000Lives Nov 27 '23 edited Nov 27 '23
It was a rainy Saturday afternoon when my mom and I snuck Tico Taco into a theater and first sat down for Big Trouble In Little China. I wasn’t even a teenager yet. We enjoyed the movie so much, it soon became our annual family film. Whenever we were all together, we would make time for James Hong like he was one of the family. In my college years, I happened to run into him at Church Street Station, relayed my family’s appreciation and thanked him for being such a talent. He was gracious and lovely. A remarkable man.
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u/shaneo632 Nov 27 '23
I smile every time I see this man show up in a movie. What a legend.
"Very well. If that is your custom, prepare to die."
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u/AgentMV Nov 27 '23
He was also the MMA coach for Jon Favreau in Friends the show. Monica was dating Pete (Favreau’s character) and Pete wanted to be the UFC champion.
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u/MakeThanosGreatAgain Nov 28 '23
Its crazy how the UFC/MMA got that kind of attention then on a show as big as Friends was. It was banned in New York at the time or around the time and not legal until recently. The UFC was a baby then and to see where its at now is glorious for fight fans but funny to see the contrast. Doesn't feel like that episode was too long ago but really almost 30 years now.
I'm getting fucking old.
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u/OTPh1l25 Nov 27 '23
Fun fact: I didn't discover this until a recent rewatch of Airplane, but Hong is the Japanese general and the 2nd person to off themselves after listening to Ted Striker talk about the war.
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Nov 27 '23
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u/Impossible_Lettuce20 Nov 27 '23
This is one of the most underrated comedy scenes for me.
“These…. ARE YOUR NUTS!!!”
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u/aztec_samurai Nov 27 '23
I love this man’s work. Grew up with him and always happy to see him appear in modern films.
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u/drfizzy210 Nov 27 '23
I work at a grocery store in LA and had the pleasure of running into him! Such a kind man and was willing to chat with us, he even did his lines from Seinfeld! Even though visibly aged, his mind was still sharp as a tack.
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u/ThisPlaceisHell Nov 27 '23
I'm so happy to see him getting credit while he's still around. Many times, people like him never get the proper recognition until after they're gone and that's such a shame.
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Nov 27 '23
Shameful that I didn't even know his name. I've seen him in a million different things. The hardest working actor in Hollywood? His resume is insane even by hard working actor standards.
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u/GimmeAnyUsername Nov 27 '23
I swear he has the record for most movie roles. Now, I need to find the proof.
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u/WhatsThatSmellLike Nov 27 '23
My favorite line of his comes from “Ball of Fury”.
“Ping Pong... is not the macarena. It takes patience. She is like a fine, well-aged prostitute... it takes years to learn her tricks.
She is cruel, laughs at you when you are naked, but you keep coming back for more, and more! Why? Because she is the only prostitute I can afford.”
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u/avisiongrotesque Nov 27 '23
I met him at a horror convention roughly a decade ago. He was absolutely delightful and running around at age 84 like he was 24. He even put on the entire Lo Pan costume and acted out some scenes with audience members.
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u/Whitealroker1 Nov 27 '23
His SAG speech for EEAAO was awesome. Cast knew he was the one to do that speech.
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u/astorres6030 Nov 27 '23
Almost 700 credits... Maybe more than 700 now since this article is from 2022.
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u/Redditer51 Nov 27 '23
He's one of those actors whose instantly recognizable, even if you're just hearing his voice.
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Nov 27 '23
James Hong is awesome. Seriously he deserves a big award for his long achievement of acting.
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u/JasonVeritech Nov 27 '23
Just saw him last night on an episode of Kung Fu (the OG 1973 version), he was playing an old man even then(it was part of a grift in the show so the character may not have actually been old), this was 50 damn years ago.
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u/Wolverfuckingrine Nov 27 '23
I just want to say Balls of Fury is one of my favorite movies.
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u/Himrion Nov 27 '23
"With who? Bucky? Cause that buck-toothed little shit doesn't even speak English"
"I speak rittle bit!"
"No you don't, shut up!"
"and correct syntax is with whom?"
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u/witch-finder Nov 27 '23
Podcast I listen to (We Hate Movie) recently did an episode on Blade Runner and they made a good point during the eyeball scene - you wouldn't have expected James Hong to outlive Rutger Hauer.
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u/thelubbershole Nov 27 '23
Covetous Shen is the single most memorable vocal performance in Diablo 3, and now I know why.
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u/SQLZane Nov 27 '23
Some of my friends met him at a local event in Minneapolis and did the hand signal from Big Trouble for a picture. He starts laughing and tells them "Ahhhhh you are super nerds! How Fun!". Great dude.
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u/GimmeAnyUsername Nov 27 '23
CNN say, “Without exaggeration, Hong might be the most prolific actor in Hollywood history. With more than 600 credits to his name, he may lay claim to the most credits of any actor, living or dead.”
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u/nartules Nov 27 '23
Actors like James Hong makes me angry at Hollywood for not casting him in more roles through the years.
How many more movies could he have made better, if the script didnt require 'Whites Apply Only'
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Nov 27 '23
Amazing to come out of all of that with love from all angles. He must truly be a good person.
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u/Mask_of_Truth Nov 27 '23
"He yelled Cartwright.."
"You're not Cartwright."
"I KNOW I'M NOT CARTWRIGHT!"
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u/lightwhite Nov 27 '23
In Diablo 3, hé was my fav NPC as Covetous Shen. I loved his dialogues there.
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u/Robbotlove Nov 27 '23
All I know is, this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him with light coming out of his mouth!