Illustrated portrait of Keye Luke on a Sunday comic strip

Keye Luke (1904-1991) was a Chinese American artist, actor, and founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. One of the most prominent Asian actors in America during the mid-twentieth century, he was the first Chinese American contract player signed by RKO, Universal Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He began his career as a commercial set artist and muralist in the studio system before landing his first acting role in The Painted Veil (1934), playing alongside star Greta Garbo. Luke’s breakthrough came the following year, when he was cast as Charlie Chan’s eldest son in Charlie Chan in Paris (1935). His incredible onscreen rapport with lead actor Warner Oland turned “Number One Son” into a regular character in subsequent Charlie Chan films. Luke went on to have a prolific career in Hollywood. He became the only actor of Asian descent to play lead detective Mr. Wong in Phantom of Chinatown (1940), who he portrayed without “Orientalizing” the character as Boris Karloff had done in Mr. Wong’s previous film incarnations. Luke also played Kato in the original Green Hornet serials and appeared in a number of popular TV shows, including Kung Fu, General Hospital, and Star Trek. Luke was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990, one year before his death.