Eccentric looking Chinese-American actor with a slightly drooping face (the result of a bout of Bell's palsy) who studied political science, art & journalism before becoming a news reporter for a San Francisco public TV station in the late 1960s.

Apart from a brief stint in the mid-1970s on the TV soap opera Search for Tomorrow, Wong didn't break into movies until he was in his late fifties in the minor telemovie Nightsongs. He then appeared in the explosive Mickey Rourke gang movie Year of the Dragon, followed by the heart warming Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, before scoring the role he is probably best remembered for, as the Chinese wizard "Egg Shen" helping truck driver Kurt Russell defeat the evil "Lo-Pan" in Big Trouble in Little China.

His offbeat style remained in demand with more work in Prince of Darkness, Bloodsport and then as an opportunistic store owner, who gets more than he bargained for, in the tongue in cheek horror film Tremors. Wong then appeared as the wise grandfather / retired ninja in the kids martial arts adventure 3 Ninjas, plus he repeated his popular role for the sequels 3 Ninjas Kick Back, 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up and for his final film appearance 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain.

Wong retired from acting in 1998 due to ill health, and passed away in September 2001 from heart failure.
Education: University of California, Berkeley (political science, journalism); University of Chicago; San Francisco Art Institute (painting). Brother of Zepplin Wong. One of television's first Chinese American reporters. He worked on the daily "Newsroom" program on KQED, San Francisco's public TV station, 1968-1974. Children: daughters Emily and Heather. His first art exhibit was hosted by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of City Lights Bookstore. Wong, Ferlinghetti and writer Jack Kerouac were friends, with Kerouac mentioning Wong in his book "Big Sur." Retired from showbusiness in 1998 after suffering two strokes. Claimed casting directors liked him because of his "lopsided" face, which was caused by Bell's palsy, a facial nerve disorder that struck him in middle age. Studied theology at the University of Chicago. Studied political science and journalism at the University of California at Berkeley. Was a fourth generation Chinese-American.