Chester Gan (1908-1959) was an American character actor of Chinese descent who worked in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1950s.
Biography Chester Gan was born in Grass Valley, California, to Wing Hong Gan and Wong Shee. He went to China for a university education, where he developed an interest in acting. Upon his return to the United States, he headed to Los Angeles, where he worked as an engineer.
In 1932, Gan's acting career in Hollywood began as a Chinese guard in Secrets of the French Police. Gan played almost a hundred roles, typically portraying Asian stereotypes, from the Chinese cook or waiter to the Japanese enemy soldier. (He once joked that as an actor, he was responsible for hundreds of on-screen deaths.) He also worked as an interpreter and a consultant on Chinese culture and customs on Hollywood films like The Good Earth.
Aside from his acting career, owned a slipper store and a restaurant in Los Angeles's Chinatown neighborhood. World War II put a pause on his career as an actor, as he joined the navy. He died in San Francisco—where he operated a photography business—in 1959 after a brief illness. He was survived by his wife, his four children, and his father.
Selected filmography YearTitleRoleNotes1931 Prestige Soldier in Indo-China Uncredited1932 War Correspondent Bandit Uncredited1932 Secrets of the French Police Chinese Guard Uncredited1933 The World Gone Mad Alpha Delta - Houston's Servant Uncredited1933 Meet the Baron Chinese Man Uncredited1934 Lazy River Sam Kee's Henchman Uncredited1934 Monte Carlo Nights Larry's Valet Uncredited1934 The Red Rider Wing Serial, Uncredited1934 Fighting Through Wong 1934 Tailspin Tommy Flapjack - the Cook Serial, Ch. 1, Uncredited1934 The Mysterious Mr. Wong Tung's Secret Service Agent Uncredited1935 The Case of the Curious Bride Ping - Perry's Servant at Party Uncredited1935 Vagabond Lady Japanese Fisherman Uncredited1935 Shadows of the Orient Chinaman at Canton House Uncredited1935 China Seas Rickshaw Boy Uncredited1935 Wanderer of the Wasteland Ling 1935 The Bishop Misbehaves Chinese Man Smoking Uncredited1935 Stormy Chinaman Uncredited1935 Moonlight on the Prairie Chinese Cook Uncredited1935 East of Java Crewman Uncredited1935 Last of the Pagans Chinese Cook Uncredited1936 The Adventures of Frank Merriwell Lumber Camp Cook Serial, Uncredited1936 Drift Fence Clarence Uncredited1936 Klondike Annie Ship's Cook Uncredited1936 Sutter's Gold Charlie - Chinese Waiter Uncredited1936 Small Town Girl Wing Uncredited1936 The Country Beyond Chinese Cook Uncredited1936 San Francisco Jowl Lee Uncredited1936 Sea Spoilers Oil 1936 Ace Drummond Kai-Chek Serial1936 Mad Holiday Vendor Uncredited1936 Hideaway Girl Chinese cook 1936 Arizona Mahoney Chinese Man at Sing-a-Long Uncredited1936 Crack-Up House Boy Uncredited1936 Stowaway Chinese Merchant Uncredited1936 After the Thin Man Chinese Waiter Uncredited1937 The Mighty Treve Chang 1937 The Good Earth Teahouse Singer Uncredited, (credited as Chester Gann)1937 China Passage Rooftop Marauder Uncredited1937 Slave Ship Crew Member Uncredited1937 Wild West Days Wong, 1st Cook Serial, (Ch's. 4-5)1937 West of Shanghai Kung Nui 1937 Mannequin Chinese Waiter Uncredited1937 Thank You, Mr. Moto Wing Uncredited1937 Wells Fargo Chinese Workman Uncredited1938 Love Is a Headache Louie, Peter's Butler Uncredited1938 International Settlement Green Dragon Proprietor Uncredited1938 Gold Is Where You Find It Wong - McCooey's Servant Uncredited1938 Air Devils Hotel Waiter Uncredited1938 Speed to Burn Chung Uncredited1938 The Mexicali Kid Mo Cort - Chinese Cook 1938 Too Hot to Handle Chinese Sergeant Uncredited1938 Shadows Over Shanghai Lun Sat Li 1939 North of Shanghai Policeman 'C' 1939 Blackwell's Island Wong, Prison Laundryman Uncredited1939 Nancy Drew... Reporter Waiter Uncredited1939 The Mystery of Mr. Wong Sing, the Butler 1939 King of Chinatown Mr. Foo 1939 Torchy Runs for Mayor Ling - Ward's Assistant Uncredited1939 No Place to Go Cheng Uncredited1939 Barricade Mongol Bandit Leader Uncredited1939 Westbound Stage Charlie 1940 My Little Chickadee Chinese Train Passenger Uncredited1940 'Til We Meet Again Hong Kong Policeman Uncredited1940 Pals of the Silver Sage Ling 1940 The Carson City Kid Wong Lee 1940 Victory Wang 1941 Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery Henchman Uncredited1941 Man-Made Monster Wong 1941 Singapore Woman Waiter at Crow's Nest Uncredited1941 The Get-Away Sam 1941 They Met in Bombay Woo Tau Woo Uncredited1941 Rawhide Rangers Sing Lo - the Cook 1941 Passage from Hong Kong Chung 1941 The Maltese Falcon Bit Part Uncredited1941 Burma Convoy Keela 1942 All Through the Night Gloves' Rescuer at Nazi Meeting Uncredited1942 A Yank on the Burma Road Doctor Uncredited1942 To the Shores of Tripoli Chinese Man Watching Parade Uncredited1942 Moontide Henry Hirota 1942 The Tuttles of Tahiti Emily's servant Uncredited1942 Escape from Hong Kong Tamoto 1942 Submarine Raider Yoshiwara Uncredited1942 Busses Roar Yamanito 1942 Across the Pacific Captain Higoto 1942 Flying Tigers Mike the Mechanic 1942 Heart of the Golden West Chinese Cook Uncredited1942 China Girl Japanese Officer Uncredited1943 The Amazing Mrs. Holliday Young Farmer Uncredited1943 China Japanese General 1943 Crash Dive Lee Wong Uncredited1943 Salute to the Marines Japanese Officer Uncredited1959 Blood Alley Ferry Boat Captain Uncredited
References
External links
Asian-American Cinema Part II the 1930s at Amoeba.com (with images)