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person_profile-Sammee Tong

Sammee Tong Died at age: 63

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Sammee Tong

Date of Birth:

Apr 21, 1901

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Oct 27, 1964

Biography of

Sammee Tong

    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.

Photos of

Sammee Tong

Photos ( 2 Photos

Filmography of

Sammee Tong

Found 15 Movies in total

... 1964

... 1963

... 1958

Hell Bound

Murdered Seaman (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1957

The Midnight Story

Restaurant Proprietor ( Actor )

... 1957

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Dr. Yamane (voice) (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1956

Woman on the Run

Witness to Suzie's Fall (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1950

God Is My Co-Pilot

Chinese Civilian (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1945

China

Aide to Japanese General ( Actor )

... 1943

Only Angels Have Wings

Sam the Cook ( Actor )

... 1939

Daughter of Shanghai

Chinese Alien in Airplane (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1937

Youth on Parole

Chinese Orchestra Leader (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1937

The Accusing Finger

Chinese-American Convict ( Actor )

... 1936

Love Before Breakfast

Steward (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1936