Keye Luke

Best remembered by one generation as "Number One Son", Lee Chan, in Warner Oland's Charlie Chan films of the 1930s. For the rest of his life, Luke would defend that film series considering that while criticisms of the series largely white men in the title role and the stereotyped African-American characters are valid, the rest of Chan's family were cast with actual Asian-American actors and played in a non-stereotypical fashion. This especially applies to Lee, a brave and enthusiastic All-American boy who even becomes an Olympic Gold Medalist in Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937).

Drew artwork used in the press book for the original King Kong (1933).

Keye Luke was born in Canton, China. He grew up in Seattle, Washington, and entered the film business as a commercial artist and a designer of movie posters. He was hired as a technical advisor on several Asian-themed films, and made his film debut in The Painted Veil (1934).

It seemed that he appeared in almost every film that called for Chinese characters, usually in small parts but occasionally, as in The Good Earth (1937), in a meatier, more substantial role. In addition, he played Dr. Kildare's rival at the hospital in the Dr. Kildare series at MGM, but it was as Charlie Chan's #1 son in that series that Luke achieved his greatest recognition.

Luke was an accomplished artist who specialized in murals. Examples of his work appear in the films The Shanghai Gesture (1941) and Macao (1952).

Was 44 years of age when he returned to the role of Lee Chan, Charlie Chan's "Number One Son" in the last two Chan films (The Feathered Serpent (1948) and The Sky Dragon (1949)). He was actually 5 months older than Roland Winters, the actor who portrayed Charlie Chan in these films.

Did a great deal of television work in his later years, at one point (1972-73) serving as a regular on three television series simultaneously: Kung Fu (1972), Anna and the King (1972), The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (1972). In addition, although not a regular, he was a frequent guest star on M*A*S*H (1972).

He was considered for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) before Alec Guinness was cast.

He continued working until age 86. He died less than three weeks after his final film, Woody Allen's Alice (1990), was released.