Sammee Tong, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Sammee Tong
Acting

Sammee Tong
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1901-04-21,San Francisco, California, USA
Gender
Male
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sammee Tong (April 21, 1901 – October 27, 1964) was an American film and television character actor. One of Tong's more notable roles was that of Peter Tong on the sitcom Bachelor Father, which aired on all three national networks from 1957 to 1962. Tong signed with Columbia Pictures, and in 1934, he made his film debut in a bit part in the comedy film The Captain Hates the Sea. In 1939 he returned to his home town as director of entertainment at the Chinese Village of San Francisco's World's Fair, and began the first Chinese radio hour on KSAN. Throughout the 1940s, he had small, usually uncredited, roles in films. He returned to Hollywood in the early 1950s and took roles on television. Tong made his television debut in 1953 in an episode of You Are There. The following year, he appeared in a recurring role as "George, the cook" in a series of television shorts which aired during The Mickey Mouse Club entitled The Adventures of Spin and Marty. In 1955, he reprised his role as George in the feature-length film Spin and Marty: The Movie. He also had a role in the sequel series The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty. In 1957, he landed a co-starring role in the sitcom Bachelor Father, starring John Forsythe and Noreen Corcoran. In the series, Tong portrayed "Peter Tong", Bentley Gregg's (Forsythe) live-in houseboy and valet. Although he was playing a servant, Tong enjoyed the role stating, "Houseboys in movies and the theater always bow low, mutter a few sing song words and disappear, but not on this show. I get dialogue and laughs." In his Bachelor Father role, Tong was not subservient and at one point walked out because he was not paid enough. He spoke with an accent even though the actor was born in the U.S., making it hard to judge how he spoke in real life. After Bachelor Father's cancellation in 1962, Tong was cast as Sammy Ling in the ABC sitcom Mickey, starring Mickey Rooney. Due to low ratings, ABC was considering canceling Mickey. The network was hesitant to cancel the series due to the popularity of Tong's character who had a solid fanbase thanks to his role in Bachelor Father. Tong's death effectively ended any chance for the series' survival and ABC canceled Mickey in December 1964. His final screen appearance was as "Cook" in the 1965 film Fluffy, starring Tony Randall and Shirley Jones. The film was released after Tong's death. In October 1964, Tong committed suicide at the age of 63. At the time of his death, he was appearing in a supporting role on the ABC sitcom, Mickey, starring Mickey Rooney.

Filmography

5.9

Hell Bound
1957-10-01

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

6.961

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963-11-07

Youth on Parole

2.7

Youth on Parole
1937-10-04

For Those Who Think Young

5.2

For Those Who Think Young
1964-06-01

God Is My Co-Pilot

7

God Is My Co-Pilot
1945-04-07

Suicide Battalion

4.5

Suicide Battalion
1958-02-28

Only Angels Have Wings

7.2

Only Angels Have Wings
1939-05-15

Love Before Breakfast

5.8

Love Before Breakfast
1936-03-09

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

6.6

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
1956-05-18

The Midnight Story

5.6

The Midnight Story
1957-06-04

6.8

China
1943-04-21

The Accusing Finger

4.7

The Accusing Finger
1936-11-17

Woman on the Run

6.8

Woman on the Run
1950-11-10

General Electric Theater

5.5

General Electric Theater
1953-02-01

5

Hawaiian Eye
1959-10-07

0

Mickey
1964-09-16

Bachelor Father

6

Bachelor Father
1957-09-15

Matinee Theater

3.3

Matinee Theater
1955-10-31

6.3

Telephone Time
1956-04-08

The Man Called X

0

The Man Called X
1956-01-27

5.5

Hey, Jeannie!
1956-09-08