Novelist
Earl Biggins' inspiration for this fabulous character was a detective with the
Honolulu Police Department. Warner Oland played him in the first 16 films,
Sidney Toler purchased the rights to play him in the next 22, then Roland
Winters played him in six.
Winters didn't look Chinese, but neither did Peter Ustinov, Ross Martin, or J. Carrol Naish.
Naish played him the same way he played the infamous Dr. Daka in the original Batman serial - - - minus the pet alligators, of course.
Keye Luke, who played Chan's No. 1 son, became the voice of
Charlie
Chan for 14 episodes of Hanna-Barbara's television series, "The Amazing Chan and
the Chan Clan." But Luke appeared in almost every television series and movie
that ever called for a Chinese character.
He played Kato in both Green Hornet serials, you'll remember, and he was Master Po, the Shaolin monk, in the popular Kung-Fu series.
But I'll betcha you didn't know this about him, Grasshopper: He was also a very talented painter, responsible for all those beautiful interior murals at Hollywood's famous Graumann's Chinese Theater.
"A Cantonese ham," Luke called himself.