PETER Kwong, a beloved movie star, martial arts expert and acting veteran has died at the age of 73.
The Big Trouble in Little China star passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday night, according to one of his close representatives.
4
4
Kwong managed to have roles in nearly 90 films and television shows over the course of his stellar career.
He first broke through as a TV actor in the late 1970s and went on to star in shows such as The A-Team, Wonder Woman, Little House on the Prairie and Miami Vice.
His first film role came in 1977 in the drama Panic in Echo Park.
Less than a decade later, in 1986, Kwong took up one of his most famous roles as Tommy Tong in Eddie Murphy’s comedy-adventure The Golden Child.
read more in celebrity deaths
That same year Kwong appeared in a second cult classic movie as Rain in Big Trouble in Little China.
He was one of the three super-powered martial artists in the John Carpenter 1986 action classic which also starred Kim Cattrall and Kurt Russell.
The 1990s saw Kwong appear in a range of other TV shows, in both drama and comedy, including Renegade, Malcolm & Eddie, The District, My Wife and Kids, JAG and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
He also featured in films including The Presidio, Gleaming the Cube, I’ll Do Anything, Paper Dragons and Cooties.
The final credit on Kwong’s impressive resume is as the voice of Mike in the comedy series Pepito’s Mamadas.
Alongside his film and TV career, Kwong was also a martial arts expert.
He was a master in Northern Shaolin kung fu, Chinese kata and could use a range of weapons including swords, staffs, spears, and nunchaku.
Kwong was also a professional dancer which included ballroom, martial arts fusion, disco and breaking.
Outside of Hollywood, he was on the SAG National Board of Directors for more than a decade and was also a member of the AFTRA National Board of Directors.
He also served on the Television Academy Board of Governors and the Actors Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Kwong’s longtime friend Peter R.J. Deyell paid tribute as he told Deadline: “He had a wonderful life and career.
“I watched him fight for the things he believed in, and I championed him for that.
“He was always a gentleman and willing to help.”
Kwong was even honoured in 2023 with the Snow Leopard Award for Outstanding Cinematic Achievement at the Asian World Film Festival.
4
Content shared from www.the-sun.com.