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Victor Wong

ACTOR

Victor Wong

Known for
The Golden Child (1986), Prince of Darkness (1987), 3 Ninjas (1992), 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994)

19 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

Victor Wong is an actor best known for The Golden Child, Prince of Darkness and 3 Ninjas.

19 Interesting Facts About Victor Wong

Interesting Facts (10)

  1. #001

    Among the many journeys of his life, at various stages he was a young Christian evangelist, a Protestant minister in training, a Zen Buddhist, a visual artist, a poet, a Beat Generation intellectual, a pioneering photographer and broadcast journalist, a comedian and a Hollywood actor.

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  2. #002

    After suffering two strokes, he retired from show business in 1998.

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  3. #003

    His first wife was the African-American stage director Olive Thurman, daughter of the well-known author and minister Howard Thurman, who was also a student of Gandhi. Howard Thurman founded the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco, a radical Christian ministry. Wong and his first wife became a dramatic team staging productions in the church auditorium, which he directed, and he also acted, designed and built sets.

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  4. #004

    After briefly joining Chicago's "Second City" comedy group, he went to the home of the famous African-American writer Langston Hughes.

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  5. #005

    He was one of television's first Chinese American reporters. From 1968 to 1974 he worked on the daily "Newsroom" program at KQED, San Francisco's public television station.

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  6. #006

    As a small child he contracted tuberculosis and spent several years in a sanatorium.

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  7. #007

    His first art exhibition was hosted by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of City Lights Bookstore. Wong, Ferlinghetti and the writer Jack Kerouac were friends, and Kerouac mentioned Wong in his book "Big Sur."

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  8. #008

    While in Chicago, he became a member of the then-forming Second City improvisational group. Wong was asked to leave shortly afterward because the company felt he would not fit its comedic direction.

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  9. #009

    He was the only actor to appear in all four 3 Ninjas films.

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  10. #010

    Victor Wong's children are his daughters Emily and Heather.

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Career & Awards (3)

  1. #011

    Before becoming an actor, he was an Emmy-winning TV journalist. Although Wong's main beat was San Francisco's Chinatown, he also reported on the 1968 Democratic convention, the Zodiac Killer, Patty Hearst and the Symbionese Liberation Army.

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  2. #012

    Director Bernardo Bertolucci had problems with Victor on the set of The Last Emperor (1987) over disputes about historical authenticity and cut most of Wong's scenes from the film, which won the 1987 Academy Award for Best Picture.

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  3. #013

    He began his career as a stage actor at the Asian-American Theatre in his hometown.

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Life & Family (6)

  1. #014

    Grieving over the September 11 tragedy and worried about the fate of his two sons living in New York at the time, Victor, who had already survived several strokes, stayed glued to the television set for nearly two days, depriving himself of the sleep he needed. He died of heart failure late in the evening of September 12, 2001.

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  2. #015

    He married four times in total. He had two daughters, Emily and Heather, and three sons, Anton, Lyon and Duncan. Lyon was killed in 1986 in a fight with another youth in Sacramento, which triggered Victor's first stroke.

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  3. #016

    He was a first-generation Chinese American born in Chinatown, San Francisco, California, to a family of Chinese immigrants. His father was a Confucian scholar and a successful store owner who served as the unofficial mayor of Chinatown.

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  4. #017

    At that time Wong was living a bohemian lifestyle, and his first art exhibition as a painting student was hosted by his friend Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco. Wong was also friends and spent much time with the writer Jack Kerouac, another leading member of the Beat Generation, who referred to him as the character "Arthur Ma" in his novel "Big Sur."

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  5. #018

    He studied political science and journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.

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  6. #019

    Victor Wong is the brother of Zepplin Wong.

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Related pages

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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