KEYE LUKE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Keye Luke was born on June 18th, 1904 in Guangzhou, China. He had four siblings and his father owned an art store. He was raised in Seattle, Washington and originally entered into the film industry as a commercial artist and a designer of movie posters. One of his brothers, Edwin Luke also became involved in the entertainment industry as an actor.
He began with working on several Asian-themed films as a technical designer. It was through his art work that he became noticed and was asked to be a part of the film industry working as an actor.
His film debut was in, "The Painted Veil" (1934). He was also in the film, "Charlie Chan in Paris" (1935). Luke worked a lot with Warner Oland and portrayed the character, Chan which became later on a regular character in the Charlie Chan series. In 1938 after Oland passed away, Keye Luke left the series.
The majority of films he appeared in were those that were in need of a Chinese actor. Most roles were small bit parts but he did have some more relevant roles that showed off his acting skills such as in the film, "The Good Earth" (1937).
Alongside a film career, Luke also worked on television and portrayed Dr. Kildare's rival on the television series, "Dr. Kiladare" with MGM. He also worked with RKO Radio Pictures on, "The Falcon" and "Mexican Spitfire" (both 1942).
He was also a very talented artist and his specialty was painting murals. Some of his work can be seen in the films, "The Shanghai Gesture" (1941) and "Macao" (1952). In the 1950's he published a limited edition set of pen and ink drawings of the, "Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam". He also painted the garden fairytale setting murals of the interior of the Graumans Chinese Theatre and the Chinese Theatre massive auditorium ceiling.
In 1948, Luke returned to the Chan mysteries and he appeared in the last two Chan features, "The Feather Serpent" (1948) and "The Sky Dragon" (1949). His career roles were booming with another role in, "The Chairman" (1969). One of his most well known and remembered roles was the character portrayal of Master Po on the television series, "Kung Fu" (1972-1975).
He was in the late 70's seen on many other shows such as "Anna and the King" and "The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan" (both 1972). He also was a guest star on, "General Hospital" (1985) a soap Opera and also appeared on the television comedy sitcom, "Golden Girls" (1986).
In the popular Gremlin films, Luke played Mr. Wing and was also involved in a number of voice over projects such as the voice of Zoltar and Colonel Cronus in, "Battle of the Planets" (1978) which was an American animated television adaptation of the Japanese anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972). He was also known for doing a lot of voice over work where his voice was used to dub foreign language films into English as well as doing voices for animated cartoons.
Keye Luke was married one time to Ethel Davis from 1942 through January 22nd, 1979 when she passed away and together they had one child. Keye continued to work up until the age of eighty six with his final role being in the film, "Alice" (1990) by Woody Allen. Keye Luke then passed away on January 12th, 1991 in Whittier, California from a stroke. He is interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.
For his contribution to televison and the motion picture industry, Luke was honored by having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Filmography
1990 Alice
1990 Gremlins 2: The New Batch
1989 The Adventures of Superboy
1989 The Mighty Quinn
1985-1988 MacGyver
1988 Dead Heat
1988 Friday the 13th
1988 Beauty and the Beast
1986-1987 Night Court
1986-1987 Sidekicks
1986 The Golden Girls
1986 A Fine Mess
1986 T.J. Hooker
1986 Kung Fu: The Movie
1986 Jonny Quest
1985 General Hospital
1985 Jem
1985 Crazy Like a Fox
1985 Blade in Hong Kong
1985 Street Hawk
1985 Miami Vice
1984 Trapper John, M.D.
1984 Gremlins
1984 The New Mike Hammer
1983 The A-Team
1983 The Chipmunks
1983 Mister T
1983 Faerie Tale Theatre
1983 Falcon Crest
1983 Magnum, P.I.
1983 Cocaine and Blue Eyes
1982 Voyagers!
1982 Remington Steele
1981 Bret Maverick
1981 Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
1981 Fly Away Home
1978-1980 M*A*S*H
1980 Charlie's Angels
1980 Thundarr the Barbarian
1979 Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
1979 Just You and Me, Kid
1979 How the West Was Won
1979 Vega$
1978 Battle of the Planets
1977 The Amsterdam Kill
1977 Quincy M.E.
1977 Hunter
1976 Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
1976 Harry O
1974-1975 Cannon
1972-1975 Kung Fu
1975 Noon Sunday
1974 Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders
1974 Judgement: The Court Martial of the Tiger of Malaya - General Yamashita
1974 Love, American Style
1973 The Cat Creature
1972 Anna and the King Kralahome
1972 The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
1971-1972 Adam-12
1972 Here's Lucy
1971 Marcus Welby, M.D.
1970 The Hawaiians
1968-1970 It Takes a Thief
1969 Hawaii Five-O
1969 The Chairman
1969 Star Trek
1968 The Outsider
1968 Project X
1968 The Big Valley
1967-1968 Dragnet 1967
1968 Family Affair
1968 Nobody's Perfect
1967 The Andy Griffith Show
1966-1967 The F.B.I.
1966 Space Ghost
1966 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1966 The Smothers Brothers Show
1965 The Wackiest Ship in the Army
1965 I Spy
1965 Jonny Quest
1962-1965 Perry Mason
1964-1965 Kentucky Jones
1964 Mickey
1962 Fair Exchange
1962 Target: The Corruptors
1961 Follow the Sun
1961 The Case of the Dangerous Robin
1958 Trackdown
1958 Richard Diamond, Private Detective
1958 Mike Hammer
1957-1958 The Gale Storm Show
1958 The Californians
1958 Alcoa Theatre
1957 Climax!
1957 Panic!
1957 Battle Hell
1957 Wire Service
1956 Rodan
1956 Around the World in Eighty Days
1956 The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu
1956 TV Reader's Digest
1956 Buffalo Bill Jr.
1956 Jungle Jim
1954-1956 Cavalcade of America
1956 Crossroads
1955 Crusader
1955 Gunsmoke
1955 The Lineup
1955 Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
1955 Gigantis the Fire Monster
1955 Soldiers of Fortune
1955 Annie Oakley
1955 Big Town
1954 The Bamboo Prison
1954 My Little Margie
1954 The Ray Milland Show: Meet Mr. McNulty
1953-1954 Fireside Theatre
1954 Studio 57
1954 Hell's Half Acre
1954 World for Ransom
1954 The New Adventures of China Smith
1953 South Sea Woman
1953 Fair Wind to Java
1953 Terry and the Pirates
1952 Gruen Guild Theater
1952 Hong Kong
1952 The Congregation
1951 The Stu Erwin Show
1950 Mysteries of Chinatown
1950 Young Man with a Horn
1949 Manhandled
1949 The Sky Dragon
1948 The Feathered Serpent
1948 Waterfront at Midnight
1948 Sleep, My Love
1947 Dark Delusion
1946 Lost City of the Jungle
1946 Tokyo Rose
1945 First Yank Into Tokyo
1945 Secret Agent X-9
1945 Between Two Women
1944 3 Men in White
1944 Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble
1943 Salute to the Marines
1943 Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case
1943 The Adventures of Smilin' Jack
1942 Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant
1942 Destination Unknown
1942 The Falcon's Brother
1942 Mexican Spitfire's Elephant
1942 Across the Pacific
1942 Somewhere I'll Find You
1942 Invisible Agent
1942 Spy Ship
1942 Submarine Raider
1942 A Tragedy at Midnight
1942 A Yank on the Burma Road
1942 North to the Klondike
1942 Mr. and Mrs. North
1941 No Hands on the Clock
1941 Burma Convoy
1941 Passage from Hong Kong
1941 Let's Go Collegiate
1941 Bowery Blitzkrieg
1941 They Met in Bombay
1941 The Gang's All Here
1941 Footlight Fever
1940 The Green Hornet Strikes Again!
1940 No, No, Nanette
1940 Comrade X
1940 Phantom of Chinatown
1940 Wildcat Bus
1940 The Green Hornet
1939 Barricade
1939 Sued for Libel
1939 Disputed Passage
1939 North of Shanghai
1938 Mr. Moto's Gamble
1938 International Settlement
1937 Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo
1937 Charlie Chan on Broadway
1937 Charlie Chan at the Olympics
1937 The Good Earth
1936 Charlie Chan at the Opera
1936 Charlie Chan at the Race Track
1936 Charlie Chan at the Circus
1936 Anything Goes
1936 King of Burlesque
1935 Charlie Chan in Shanghai
1935 Here's to Romance
1935 Shanghai
1935 Mad Love
1935 Oil for the Lamps of China
1935 Murder in the Fleet
1935 Eight Bells
1935 The Casino Murder Case
1935 Charlie Chan in Paris
1934 The Painted Veil
