Richard Kuan Loo (1903-83) was Chinese by descent, was born in Hawaii, and spent much of his career playing Japanese characters. He appeared in over a hundred films and many dozens of television episodes.
Loo set up his own business after graduating from university, and engaged in amateur acting just for fun. After his business failed following the Wall Street crash, he turned professional, working at the Pasadena Playhouse before making his film debut. One of his first roles was a credited appearance in Capra’s The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932).
Most of Loo’s other roles were uncredited, and included Lost Horizon (1937), The Good Earth (1937), Wake Island (1943), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), Back to Bataan (1945), The Steel Helmet (1951, a prominent and credited role), Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), The Quiet American (1958) and The Man With the Golden Gun (1974).
Health issues prevented Loo from enlisting during the Second World War, so he considered playing evil Japanese characters in pictures his contribution to the war effort.
Loo’s sole appearance in an MGM musical was in Student Tour, though he also played in two Broadway musicals, South Pacific (1949) and The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953).
