Victor Sen Yung

Birthday: 1915-10-18
Deathday: 1980-11-01
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

Victor Sen Young (born Victor Cheung Young or Sen Yew Cheung; October 18, 1915 – body discovered November 9, 1980) was an American character actor, best known for playing Jimmy Chan in the Charlie Chan films and Hop Sing in the Western series Bonanza. He was born in San Francisco, California to Gum Yung Sen and his first wife, both immigrants from China.

His mother died during the flu epidemic of 1919. His father placed Victor and his younger sister, Rosemary, in a children's shelter, and returned to his homeland to seek another wife. He returned in 1922 with his new wife, Lovi Shee, forming a household with his two children.

Sen Yung made his first significant acting debut in the 1938 film Charlie Chan in Honolulu, as the Chinese detective's "number two son", Jimmy Chan. Sen Yung played Jimmy Chan in 11 Charlie Chan films between 1938 and 1942. Moonlighting from the popular Chan series, Sen Yung won critical acclaim playing the nuanced role of Ong Chi Seng, a young attorney assisting Howard Joyce, in defending Leslie Crosbie, in The Letter. Like other Chinese-American actors, he was cast in Japanese parts during World War II, like his role as the treacherous Japanese-American Joe Totsuiko in the 1942 Humphrey Bogart film Across the Pacific.

During World War II he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces just as his erstwhile co-star Sidney Toler was set to revive the dormant Charlie Chan series at Monogram Pictures. Sen Yung's military obligations forced him to decline rejoining the series immediately, but Monogram gave him a standing invitation to work there after his tour of duty. Sen Yung's military service included work in training films at the First Motion Picture Unit and a role in the Army Air Forces' play and film Winged Victory.

In 1946 Sen Yung resumed his Hollywood career at Monogram, now billed as Victor Sen Young, and reunited with Sidney Toler. Toler's health was failing; Monogram was conserving Toler's waning energy, limiting his scenes and giving him long rest periods during filming. To relieve the burden on Toler, Monogram entrusted much of the action to Victor Sen Young; he and either Mantan Moreland or Willie Best shared much of the footage in Toler's final three films, Dangerous Money, Shadows Over Chinatown, and The Trap. The addition of Moreland as Chan's black chauffeur, Birmingham Brown, reflected the fact that by this time the Chan pictures had a significant following among black Americans, who liked a film series that for once did not feature a white hero. Moreland's popularity in the Chan pictures was so great that he was booked for a nationwide vaudeville tour.

Following Toler's death in 1947, Victor Sen Young appeared in five of the remaining six Charlie Chan features. His character "Jimmy" was renamed "Tommy".

Victor Sen Young continued to work in motion pictures and television in roles ranging from featured players (affable or earnest Asian characters) to bit roles (clerks, houseboys, waiters, etc.).

Arguably even more than for his work in the Charlie Chan films, Victor Sen Yung is remembered as "Hop Sing," the irascible cook and general factotum on the iconic television series Bonanza, appearing in 107 episodes between 1959 and 1973.

Sen Yung was also an accomplished and talented chef. He frequently appeared on cooking programs and authored The Great Wok Cookbook in 1974.

Credits

Year Title Character
1986-01-01 Horrible Horror Sammy Ching in 'She Demons'
1980-10-03 The Man with Bogart's Face Mr. Wing
1975-12-19 The Killer Elite Wei Chi
1973-03-17 The Red Pony Mr. Sing / Carni man / Mr. Green
1972-02-22 Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, the Sign of the Dragon Chuen
1970-06-17 The Hawaiians Chun Fat (uncredited)
1968-11-27 A Flea in Her Ear Oke Saki
1962-06-20 Confessions of an Opium Eater Wing Young
1961-11-09 Flower Drum Song Frankie Wing
1958-10-01 The Saga of Hemp Brown Chang
1958-09-01 The Hunters Korean farmer
1958-02-15 Jet Attack Capt. Chon
1958-01-03 She Demons Sammy Ching
1957-05-03 Men in War North Korean Sniper Prisoner
1956-12-21 Accused of Murder Hank - Bayliss' Houseboy (uncredited)
1956-10-08 Flight to Hong Kong Airline Ticket Clerk (uncredited)
1956-07-01 The Rawhide Years Chang - Steward (uncredited)
1955-10-01 Blood Alley Cpl. Wang
1955-09-02 The Left Hand of God John Wong
1955-05-24 Soldier of Fortune Goldie - Hotel Waiter (uncredited)
1955-04-01 Jump Into Hell Lt. Thatch
1954-12-05 Port of Hell Detonation Ship Radioman
1954-09-01 The Shanghai Story Sun Lee
1954-05-15 Jubilee Trail Mickey - Chinese Man (uncredited)
1954-01-06 Trader Tom of the China Seas Wang
1953-12-02 Forbidden Allan Chung
1953-03-20 The Blue Gardenia Blue Gardenia Waiter (uncredited)
1953-02-06 Target Hong Kong Johnny Wing (uncredited)
1952-06-30 Cripple Creek Postal Clerk (uncredited)
1952-05-09 The Sniper Tom
1952-04-18 Hong Kong Mr. Howe (uncredited)
1951-11-20 Valley of Fire Ching Moon
1951-08-01 Peking Express Chinese Captain (uncredited)
1951-07-20 The Law and the Lady Chinese Manager (uncredited)
1951-06-20 Secrets of Monte Carlo Chinese Clerk (uncredited)
1951-03-13 The Groom Wore Spurs Ignacio
1951-01-12 Grounds for Marriage Oscar, Chris' Valet
1950-11-10 Woman on the Run Sammy Chung
1950-10-06 The Breaking Point Mr. Sing
1950-05-19 A Ticket to Tomahawk Long Time
1950-02-02 Key to the City MC at the Blue Duck (uncredited)
1949-12-02 And Baby Makes Three Lem Kee
1949-11-17 Chinatown at Midnight Hotel Proprietor
1949-11-11 Oh, You Beautiful Doll Houseboy
1949-09-30 Red Light Vincent
1949-07-01 The Sickle or the Cross Major
1949-04-11 Tuna Clipper Oriental Dock Worker
1949-03-02 Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture
1949-02-11 State Department: File 649 Johnny Han
1948-12-28 Rogues' Regiment Rickshaw Boy (uncredited)
1948-12-19 The Feathered Serpent Tommy Chan
1948-08-29 The Golden Eye Tommy Chan (as Victor Sen Young)
1948-07-11 Shanghai Chest Tommy Chan
1948-03-21 Docks of New Orleans Tommy Chan
1948-03-01 Half Past Midnight Sam
1948-02-07 To the Ends of the Earth Chinese Pilot (uncredited)
1947-12-06 The Chinese Ring Tommy Chan
1947-12-06 Intrigue Western Union Clerk (uncredited)
1947-11-24 The Flame Chang
1947-07-02 The Crimson Key Wing - Houseboy
1947-06-10 Web of Danger Sam
1946-11-30 The Trap Jimmy Chan
1946-11-27 Dangerous Millions Lin Chow
1946-10-12 Dangerous Money Jimmy Chan
1946-08-12 G.I. War Brides Waiter (uncredited)
1946-06-27 Shadows Over Chinatown Jimmy Chan
1945-04-24 Betrayal from the East Omaya
1944-12-22 Winged Victory Lee (uncredited)
1943-12-23 Lost Angel Chinese Man (uncredited)
1943-05-31 Night Plane from Chungking Captain Po
1943-04-21 China Lin Wei
1942-10-16 Manila Calling Armando
1942-09-04 Across the Pacific Joe Totsuiko
1942-07-08 Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
1942-05-29 Moontide Jimmy Takeo
1942-05-15 The Mad Martindales Jefferson Gow
1942-04-03 Secret Agent of Japan Fu Yen
1942-02-02 Castle in the Desert Jimmy Chan
1942-01-29 A Yank on the Burma Road Wing (as Sen Yung)
1941-09-05 Charlie Chan in Rio Jimmy Chan
1941-06-27 They Met in Bombay Gin Ling (uncredited)
1941-03-28 Dead Men Tell Jimmy Chan
1940-12-13 Murder Over New York Jimmy Chan
1940-11-21 The Letter Ong Chi Seng
1940-09-06 Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum Jimmy Chan (as Sen Yung)
1940-05-02 Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise Jimmy Chan
1940-03-01 Charlie Chan in Panama Jimmy Chan (as Sen Yung)
1939-12-22 Escape to Paradise
1939-12-08 Barricade Undetermined Role
1939-10-26 20,000 Men a Year Harold Chong
1939-08-31 Charlie Chan at Treasure Island Jimmy Chan
1939-06-16 Charlie Chan in Reno Jimmy Chan
1939-02-02 Torchy Blane in Chinatown Chinese Entertainer with Sword
1938-12-30 Charlie Chan in Honolulu James Chan
1938-10-14 Shadows Over Shanghai Wang
1938-06-11 Mr. Moto Takes a Chance Soldier
1938-02-04 International Settlement Bellboy / Onlooker in Street
1937-12-24 Thank You, Mr. Moto Onlooker with Street Acrobats / Elevator Operator (uncredited)
1937-09-17 Double or Nothing Minor Role (uncredited)
1937-06-02 The Good Earth Peasant (uncredited)