Victor Sen Young: The amazing Jimmie Chan and honorable Hop Sing.

Victor Sen Yung is not a household name but the actor's face is familiar to those who enjoyed him as Hop Sing on BONANZA and Jimmie Chan in the CHARLIE CHAN films. Thanks to networks like DECADES, MeTV, and RETRO along with TCM, baby boomers can now relive fond memories from the past and catch up with favorite films and TV shows as well as popular characters and the entertainers who portrayed them.

The Early Years

Victor Sen Yung was born Sen Yew Cheung on October 18, 1915, in San Francisco, California. His parents were Gum Yung Sen and his first wife, who both were Chinese immigrants. Yung's mother died during the flu epidemic of 1919, and Victor and his younger sister, Rosemary were placed in an orphanage by their father. Gum Yung Sen returned to his native land and came back to American in 1922 with a new wife, Lovi Shee. He retrieved his son and daughter from the children's shelter and the four became a family.

Victor Sen Yung Name change

During his career, the actor was billed under a variety of names, including Sen Young, Sen Yung, Victor Sen Young, and Victor Young. It was common in Hollywood in those days for actors to change their names to something that was less ethnic-sounding, more American, and easier to pronounce, In many cases, it won them more roles.

Jimmy Chan

Victor Young's first significant role was in the 1938 film CHARLIE CHAN IN HONOLULU when he portrayed the Chinese detective's "number two son," Jimmy Chan. Young replaced Kyle Luke who had been portraying the "number one son" named Lee. Sen Yung played Jimmy Chan in 11 CHARLIE CHAN films between 1938 and 1942. Jimmy was a handsome young Americanized son who irritated his father who clung to his Chinses ways.

Jimmy was bumbling, fumbling like A Keystone Cop and yet adorable. as He constantly got in his dad's way and often hindered his job. Jimmy was well-meaning but inept with a sort of innocence and this gave the series much of its appeal. In spite of the fact that Charlie Chan harshly critiqued his son, viewers could see a genuine love between the two men. Sen Yung, like other Chinese actors, was cast in Japanese parts during World War II.

In 1942 he portrayed Japanese-American Joe Totsuiko in the Humphrey Bogart film ACROSS THE PACIFIC. By the time WWII ended the CHARLIE CHAN series was in the hands of Monogram Pictures. After the war Victor Sen Young appeared in five of the remaining six CHARLIE CHAN features but his character "Jimmy" was renamed "Tommy".

Hop Sing

For younger audiences, Sen Yung is probably best remembered as "Hop Sing," the cook on the television series BONANZA. Between 1959 and 1973 the actor appeared in 107 episodes. Series creator David Dortort told the Archive of American Television that Hop Sing generated "massive fandom" and that Victor Young was "just absolutely delightful". He loved the part and enjoyed playing this role.

The character had so many fans that he was written in as the feature character in a number of the episodes. One of my personal favorites was Mark of Guilt in 1968 when Hop Sing was shamed when his ponytail was cut off. I remember almost crying as the Cartwright's cook explained how his hair was a badge of honor and now it was gone.

Later years and death

In 1972, Sen Yung was a passenger on Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710, when it was hijacked. The FBI stormed the plane, and Yung was shot in his lower back during the ensuing gunfire. He and another wounded passenger survived, but the two hijackers and a third passenger were killed. Young shared the details of the hijacking in 1975 during an appearance on Garry Moore's, TO TELL THE TRUTH.

The beloved actor's body was found in his home on November 9, 1980. Reports indicate that he had been deceased for at least 10 days, possibly dying around October 31. Young had been running a Chinese mail-order clayware business and curing the items using a gas oven. He was said to have died from gas poisoning but there has also been speculation that he was murdered.

The police. however, ruled his death as accidental. Pernell Roberts Young's BONANZA costar who portrayed Adam Cartwright paid for the funeral and also did the eulogy. Young was married to Li Ying Wong and they had one son Brent Key Young. Be sure to catch Yung's movies as well as hsi appearances on Bonanza.