James Hong, 94, stole the show on the red carpet at the 95th Academy Awards Sunday night, posing for the cameras and wearing a bow tie with googly eyes as a nod to his role in the Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
He plays Michelle Yeoh‘s father in the critically acclaimed multiverse film.
In an interview with ABC, Hong stated that this was his first time attending the Oscars in his 70-year acting career.
“This movie Everything Everywhere All at Once gave me the chance to be here today. I started with Clark Gable, Bill Holden and John Wayne. The first three movies I had nothing. I just had little small bits, but it takes perseverance through all these years to make it, and do my 500 movies and TV and et cetera, and I’m here!”
At the SAG Awards, he said 70 years ago, producers would say that Asians were not “good enough” or “box office.” “But look at us now, huh?” the actor said.
Hong has more than 600 acting credits, making him one of the most prolific actors of all time. Last year, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He became well-known through his appearances on television shows such as the original Hawaii Five-O (1969-1974) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1965-1966). He also had roles in many films, including Chinatown (1974), Blade Runner (1982), Big Trouble in Little China (1986) and Wayne’s World 2 (1993).
Hong was also a prominent voice actor, starring as Chi-Fu in Mulan (1998), Mr. Ping in the Kung Fu Panda films and Mr. Gao in Turning Red (2022).
