With nearly 700 credits at age 93, legendary actor James Hong isn’t done yet

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After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, during which he put on shows for his fellow troops, the Minneapolis native planned to spend a summer in Los Angeles before resuming his engineering studies back home.

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Then an unlikely big break changed his life: impressing Groucho Marx with an impression of Groucho Marx on an episode of “You Bet Your Life.”

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He moved to L.A., got an agent and started booking small roles. The rest was history — much to the initial disapproval of his tradition-minded parents.

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“They thought I was crazy. They thought I was no good,” said Hong, 93, with a smile on a recent afternoon in the courtyard of his Beverly Hills home.

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“James Hong had to be a black sheep and become an actor.”

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Back then, he had no idea how far his acting dreams would take him, the challenges he’d face as a Chinese American in Hollywood, or that he’d become one of the most prolific film and television performers in American history.

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