Victor Sen Yung
Known for Acting · 138 credits
- Born
- 1915-10-18
- Died
- 1980-11-01
- Place of birth
- San Francisco, California, USA
- Also known as
- Victor Cheung Young · Sen Yew Cheung · Sen Yung · Sen Young · Victor Sen Young · Victor Young
Biography
Victor Sen Young (born Victor Cheung Young or Sen Yew Cheung; October 18, 1915 – body discovered November 9, 1980) was an American character actor, best known for playing Jimmy Chan in the Charlie Chan films and Hop Sing in the Western series Bonanza. He was born in San Francisco, California to Gum Yung Sen and his first wife, both immigrants from China.
His mother died during the flu epidemic of 1919. His father placed Victor and his younger sister, Rosemary, in a children's shelter, and returned to his homeland to seek another wife. He returned in 1922 with his new wife, Lovi Shee, forming a household with his two children.
Sen Yung made his first significant acting debut in the 1938 film Charlie Chan in Honolulu, as the Chinese detective's "number two son", Jimmy Chan. Sen Yung played Jimmy Chan in 11 Charlie Chan films between 1938 and 1942. Moonlighting from the popular Chan series, Sen Yung won critical acclaim playing the nuanced role of Ong Chi Seng, a young attorney assisting Howard Joyce, in defending Leslie Crosbie, in The Letter. Like other Chinese-American actors, he was cast in Japanese parts during World War II, like his role as the treacherous Japanese-American Joe Totsuiko in the 1942 Humphrey Bogart film Across the Pacific.
During World War II he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces just as his erstwhile co-star Sidney Toler was set to revive the dormant Charlie Chan series at Monogram Pictures. Sen Yung's military obligations forced him to decline rejoining the series immediately, but Monogram gave him a standing invitation to work there after his tour of duty. Sen Yung's military service included work in training films at the First Motion Picture Unit and a role in the Army Air Forces' play and film Winged Victory.
In 1946 Sen Yung resumed his Hollywood career at Monogram, now billed as Victor Sen Young, and reunited with Sidney Toler. Toler's health was failing; Monogram was conserving Toler's waning energy, limiting his scenes and giving him long rest periods during filming. To relieve the burden on Toler, Monogram entrusted much of the action to Victor Sen Young; he and either Mantan Moreland or Willie Best shared much of the footage in Toler's final three films, Dangerous Money, Shadows Over Chinatown, and The Trap. The addition of Moreland as Chan's black chauffeur, Birmingham Brown, reflected the fact that by this time the Chan pictures had a significant following among black Americans, who liked a film series that for once did not feature a white hero. Moreland's popularity in the Chan pictures was so great that he was booked for a nationwide vaudeville tour.
Known For
TV Shows (36)
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
Perry Mason
1957
as Mickey Fong / Sheng
Bonanza
1959
as Hop Sing
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Dr. Leo Kuh
The Rifleman
1958
Get Smart
1965
as Yamasaki / Abe Fu Yung
The F.B.I.
1965
as Mayor Eto / Joseph Sakanishi / Mr. Kwong
The Wild Wild West
1965
as Baron Kyosai
Police Woman
1974
as Ah Choy
Night Gallery
1970
as Joseph the Butler
Hawaiian Eye
1959
as Sam / Al
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964
Here's Lucy
1968
as Headwaiter / Murphy
Thriller
1960
as Bartender
The Jack Benny Program
1950
as Chinese cafeteria employee
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
1957
as Magan
Mister Ed
1961
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1964
as Servant
Adventures of Superman
1952
as Harry Wong
Navy Log
1955
87th Precinct
1961
as Charlie, 1st Tattoo Parlor Owner
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
1960
as Dr. Wing Chin-Ni
How the West Was Won
1977
as Hospital Attendant
Broken Arrow
1956
as Ling Tang
Yancy Derringer
1958
as Hon Lee
Barbary Coast
1975
as Soong
The Lone Wolf
1954
as Jack Wong
Hong Kong
1960
as Yang
The Paul Lynde Show
1972
China Smith
1952
as George Loo
Isis
1975
as Mr. Chen
Mickey
1964
Captain Midnight
1954
Terry and the Pirates
1952
Dr. Fu Manchu
1956
as Broadcaster (uncredited)
Kung Fu
1972
as Old Mandarin / Master Ling (uncredited) / Chu / Farmer
Movies (102)
The Hawaiians
1970
as Chun Fat (uncredited)
The Letter
1940
as Ong Chi Seng
Moontide
1942
as Jimmy Takeo
Jet Attack
1958
as Capt. Chon
International Settlement
1938
as Bellboy / Onlooker in Street
The Flame
1947
as Chang
Blood Alley
1955
as Cpl. Wang
The Killer Elite
1975
as Wei Chi
Flower Drum Song
1961
as Frankie Wing
Men in War
1957
as North Korean Sniper Prisoner
The Movie Orgy
1968
as Self (archive footage)
Dangerous Millions
1946
as Lin Chow
The Blue Gardenia
1953
as Blue Gardenia Waiter (uncredited)
The Man with Bogart's Face
1980
as Mr. Wing
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
1939
as Jimmy Chan
Winged Victory
1944
as Lee (uncredited)
Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, the Sign of the Dragon
1972
as Chuen
Rogues' Regiment
1948
as Rickshaw Boy (uncredited)
Tuna Clipper
1949
as Oriental Dock Worker
Soldier of Fortune
1955
as Goldie - Hotel Waiter (uncredited)
To the Ends of the Earth
1948
as Chinese Pilot (uncredited)
Thank You, Mr. Moto
1937
as Onlooker with Street Acrobats / Elevator Operator (uncredited)
The Chinese Ring
1947
as Tommy Chan
The Good Earth
1937
as Peasant (uncredited)
The Hunters
1958
as Korean farmer
Woman on the Run
1950
as Sammy Chung
The Left Hand of God
1955
as John Wong
Flight to Hong Kong
1956
as Airline Ticket Clerk (uncredited)
Intrigue
1947
as Western Union Clerk (uncredited)
The Rawhide Years
1956
as Chang - Steward (uncredited)
Across the Pacific
1942
as Joe Totsuiko
Double or Nothing
1937
as Minor Role (uncredited)
Key to the City
1950
as MC at the Blue Duck (uncredited)
China
1943
as Lin Wei
Docks of New Orleans
1948
as Tommy Chan
Murder Over New York
1940
as Jimmy Chan
The Trap
1946
as Jimmy Chan
G.I. War Brides
1946
as Waiter (uncredited)
The Red Pony
1973
as Mr. Sing / Carni man / Mr. Green
Dead Men Tell
1941
as Jimmy Chan
Peking Express
1951
as Chinese Captain (uncredited)
The Saga of Hemp Brown
1958
as Chang
The Sniper
1952
as Tom
Confessions of an Opium Eater
1962
as Wing Young
The Breaking Point
1950
as Mr. Sing
Castle in the Desert
1942
as Jimmy Chan
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise
1940
as Jimmy Chan
Cripple Creek
1952
as Postal Clerk (uncredited)
Hong Kong
1952
as Mr. Howe (uncredited)
Charlie Chan in Reno
1939
as Jimmy Chan
A Yank on the Burma Road
1942
as Wing
And Baby Makes Three
1949
as Lem Kee
They Met in Bombay
1941
as Gin Ling (uncredited)
Escape to Paradise
1939
State Department: File 649
1949
as Johnny Han
Lost Angel
1943
as Chinese Man (uncredited)
Accused of Murder
1956
as Hank - Bayliss' Houseboy (uncredited)
Betrayal from the East
1945
as Omaya
The Sickle or the Cross
1949
as Major
The Shanghai Story
1954
as Sun Lee
The Law and the Lady
1951
as Chinese Manager (uncredited)
A Ticket to Tomahawk
1950
as Long Time
Dragon by the Tail
1961
as Dr. Wing Chin-Ni
The Shanghai Chest
1948
as Tommy Chan
Dangerous Money
1946
as Jimmy Chan
She Demons
1958
as Sammy Ching
Charlie Chan in Honolulu
1938
as James Chan
Jump Into Hell
1955
as Lt. Thatch
Chinatown at Midnight
1949
as Hotel Proprietor
Shadows Over Chinatown
1946
as Jimmy Chan
Torchy Blane in Chinatown
1939
as Chinese Entertainer with Sword
Forbidden
1953
as Allan Chung
Red Light
1949
as Vincent (uncredited)
The Groom Wore Spurs
1951
as Ignacio
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum
1940
as Jimmy Chan
Charlie Chan in Panama
1940
as Jimmy Chan
The Golden Eye
1948
as Tommy Chan (as Victor Sen Young)
Jubilee Trail
1954
as Mickey - Chinese Man (uncredited)
20,000 Men a Year
1939
as Harold Chong
Secrets of Monte Carlo
1951
as Chinese Clerk (uncredited)
Grounds for Marriage
1951
as Oscar, Chris' Valet
Mr. Moto Takes a Chance
1938
as Soldier
Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture
1949
Charlie Chan in Rio
1941
as Jimmy Chan
The Mad Martindales
1942
as Jefferson Gow
The Crimson Key
1947
as Wing - Houseboy
Valley of Fire
1951
as Ching Moon
Barricade
1939
as Undetermined Role
A Flea in Her Ear
1968
as Oke Saki
Secret Agent of Japan
1942
as Fu Yen
Manila Calling
1942
as Armando
Half Past Midnight
1948
as Sam
Oh, You Beautiful Doll
1949
as Houseboy
The Feathered Serpent
1948
as Tommy Chan
Shadows Over Shanghai
1938
as Wang
Target Hong Kong
1953
as Johnny Wing (uncredited)
Night Plane from Chungking
1943
as Captain Po
Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
1942
Trader Tom of the China Seas
1954
as Wang
The Family Nobody Wanted
1956
Web of Danger
1947
as Sam
Port of Hell
1954
as Detonation Ship Radioman
About Victor Sen Yung
Victor Sen Young (born Victor Cheung Young or Sen Yew Cheung; October 18, 1915 – body discovered November 9, 1980) was an American character actor, best known for playing Jimmy Chan in the Charlie Chan films and Hop Sing in the Western series Bonanza. He was born in San Francisco, California to Gum Yung Sen and his first wife, both immigrants from China. His mother died during the flu epidemic of 1919. His father placed Victor and his younger sister, Rosemary, in a children's shelter, and returned to his homeland to seek another wife. He retur… With 138 credits spanning from 1937 to 1980, Victor Sen Yung has appeared in 102 films and 36 TV shows.
Fans searching for Victor Sen Yung movies, Victor Sen Yung filmography, or the latest projects starring Victor Sen Yung can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Victor Sen Yung Movies
- The Hawaiians (1970) — as Chun Fat (uncredited)
- The Letter (1940) — as Ong Chi Seng
- Moontide (1942) — as Jimmy Takeo
- Jet Attack (1958) — as Capt. Chon
- International Settlement (1938) — as Bellboy / Onlooker in Street
Where to Watch Victor Sen Yung Films
Most Victor Sen Yung movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Victor Sen Yung, check our movies catalogue and browse page.