1. Burt Kwouk is perhaps best known for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films.
17 Facts About Burt Kwouk
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Burt Kwouk made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Major Yamauchi in the British drama series Tenko and as Entwistle in Last of the Summer Wine.
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Burt Kwouk was born on 18 July 1930 in Warrington, Lancashire, to Chinese parents; his parents were on a business trip touring Europe.
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Burt Kwouk was brought up in Shanghai; his father was a textile tycoon descended from a Tang dynasty general.
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Burt Kwouk left China in 1947 when his parents returned to Britain, and was sent to the United States to complete his education.
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Burt Kwouk was best known for playing Cato Fong, Inspector Clouseau's manservant, in the Pink Panther film series.
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Burt Kwouk was a stalwart of several 1960s ITC television series, such as Danger Man, The Saint and Man of the World, when an oriental character was required.
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Burt Kwouk appeared in the episode Assault Force in Return of the Saint.
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Burt Kwouk featured as one of the leads in the short-lived series The Sentimental Agent and had minor roles in three James Bond films.
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In Goldfinger, he played Mr Ling, a Chinese expert in nuclear fission; in the non-Ian Fleming spoof Casino Royale, he played a general and, in You Only Live Twice, Burt Kwouk played the part of a Japanese operative of Blofeld, credited as Spectre 3.
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Burt Kwouk appeared with Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn in The Shoes of the Fisherman.
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Burt Kwouk featured in many British television productions that called for an Oriental actor.
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Burt Kwouk appeared in the 1985 RKO film Plenty as a Burmese diplomat at a dinner party.
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Burt Kwouk provided voice-overs on the spoof Japanese betting show Banzai and subsequently appeared in adverts for the betting company, Bet365.
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Burt Kwouk married Caroline Tebbs in Wandsworth, London, in the summer of 1961.
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Burt Kwouk was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to drama.
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Burt Kwouk died on 24 May 2016 at the age of 85, from cancer, at the Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead.