Victor Sen Young (born Victor Cheung Young or Sen Yew Cheung; October 18, 1915 – body discovered November 9, 1980) was an American character actor, best known for playing Jimmy Chan in the Charlie Chan films and Hop Sing in the Western series Bonanza. He was born in San Francisco, California to Gum Yung Sen and his first wife, both immigrants from China.His mother died during the flu epidemic of 1919. His father placed Victor and his younger sister, Rosemary, in a childrens shelter, and returned to his homeland to seek another wife. He returned in 1922 with his new wife, Lovi Shee, forming a household with his two children.Sen Yung made his first significant acting debut in the 1938 film Charlie Chan in Honolulu, as the Chinese detectives number two son, Jimmy Chan. Sen Yung played Jimmy Chan in 11 Charlie Chan films between 1938 and 1942. Moonlighting from the popular Chan series, Sen Yung won critical acclaim playing the nuanced role of Ong Chi Seng, a young attorney assisting Howard Joyce, in defending Leslie Crosbie, in The Letter. Like other Chinese-American actors, he was cast in Japanese parts during World War II, like his role as the treacherous Japanese-American Joe Totsuiko in the 1942 Humphrey Bogart film Across the Pacific.During World War II he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces just as his erstwhile co-star Sidney Toler was set to revive the dormant Charlie Chan series at Monogram Pictures. Sen Yungs military obligations forced him to decline rejoining the series immediately, but Monogram gave him a standing invitation to work there after his tour of duty. Sen Yungs military service included work in training films at the First Motion Picture Unit and a role in the Army Air Forces play and film Winged Victory.In 1946 Sen Yung resumed his Hollywood career at Monogram, now billed as Victor Sen Young, and reunited with Sidney Toler. Tolers health was failing; Monogram was conserving Tolers waning energy, limiting his scenes and giving him long rest periods during filming. To relieve the burden on Toler, Monogram entrusted much of the action to Victor Sen Young; he and either Mantan Moreland or Willie Best shared much of the footage in Tolers final three films, Dangerous Money, Shadows Over Chinatown, and The Trap. The addition of Moreland as Chans black chauffeur, Birmingham Brown, reflected the fact that by this time the Chan pictures had a significant following among black Americans, who liked a film series that for once did not feature a white hero. Morelands popularity in the Chan pictures was so great that he was booked for a nationwide vaudeville tour.Following Tolers death in 1947, Victor Sen Young appeared in five of the remaining six Charlie Chan features. His character Jimmy was renamed Tommy.Victor Sen Young continued to work in motion pictures and television in roles ranging from featured players (affable or earnest Asian characters) to bit roles (clerks, houseboys, waiters, etc.).Arguably even more than for his work in the Charlie Chan films, Victor Sen Yung is remembered as Hop Sing, the irascible cook and general factotum on the iconic television series Bonanza, appearing in 107 episodes between 1959 and 1973.Sen Yung was also an accomplished and talented chef. He frequently appeared on cooking programs and authored The Great Wok Cookbook in 1974.
Self (archive footage)
Film 1968
Hotel Proprietor
Film 1949
Frankie Wing
Film 1961
Jimmy Chan
Film 1939
Allan Chung
Film 1953
Jimmy Chan
Film 1942
Jimmy Takeo
Film 1942
Sammy Ching
Film 1958
Mr. Sing
Film 1950
Jimmy Chan (as Sen Yung)
Film 1940
Jimmy Chan
Film 1940
Jimmy Chan
Film 1941
Jimmy Chan
Film 1941
Jimmy Chan
Film 1946
Jimmy Chan
Film 1946
Chang
Film 1947
Capt. Chon
Film 1958
Ong Chi Seng
Film 1940
Joe Totsuiko
Film 1942
Tommy Chan
Film 1948
Tommy Chan
Film 1947
Tommy Chan
Film 1948
Sammy Ching in 'She Demons'
Film 1986
Tommy Chan (as Victor Sen Young)
Film 1948
Oriental Dock Worker
Film 1949
Captain Po
Film 1943
Wang
Film 1938
Wing - Houseboy
Film 1947
Soldier
Film 1938
Major
Film 1949
Chuen
Film 1972
Wei Chi
Film 1975
Sam
Film 1947
Fu Yen
Film 1942
Film 1939
Film 1949
Peasant (uncredited)
Film 1937
Onlooker with Street Acrobats / Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Film 1937
Postal Clerk (uncredited)
Film 1952
Chun Fat (uncredited)
Film 1970
Chang - Steward (uncredited)
Film 1956
Ching Moon
Film 1951
Lem Kee
Film 1949
Mickey - Chinese Man (uncredited)
Film 1954
Minor Role (uncredited)
Film 1937
Film 1942
Chinese Clerk (uncredited)
Film 1951
Chinese Pilot (uncredited)
Film 1948
Rickshaw Boy (uncredited)
Film 1948
Waiter (uncredited)
Film 1946
Oscar, Chris' Valet
Film 1951
Hank - Bayliss' Houseboy (uncredited)
Film 1956
Western Union Clerk (uncredited)
Film 1947
Mr. Howe (uncredited)
Film 1952
Chinese Manager (uncredited)
Film 1951
Chinese Man (uncredited)
Film 1943
Johnny Wing (uncredited)
Film 1953
Chinese Captain (uncredited)
Film 1951
MC at the Blue Duck (uncredited)
Film 1950
Airline Ticket Clerk (uncredited)
Film 1956
Armando
Film 1942
Blue Gardenia Waiter (uncredited)
Film 1953
Goldie - Hotel Waiter (uncredited)
Film 1955
Lee (uncredited)
Film 1944
Lt. Thatch
Film 1955
Bellboy / Onlooker in Street
Film 1938
Chinese Entertainer with Sword
Film 1939
Tom
Film 1952
Ignacio
Film 1951
Undetermined Role
Film 1939
Harold Chong
Film 1939
Long Time
Film 1950
North Korean Sniper Prisoner
Film 1957
Jefferson Gow
Film 1942
Detonation Ship Radioman
Film 1954
Gin Ling (uncredited)
Film 1941
Sam
Film 1948
Houseboy
Film 1949
Wang
Film 1954
Lin Chow
Film 1946
Oke Saki
Film 1968
Tv 1961
Headwaiter
Tv 1968
Tv 1972
Mayor Eto
Tv 1965
Dr. Leo Kuh
Tv 1968
Tv 1964
Mickey Fong
Tv 1957
Joseph the Butler
Tv 1970
Tv 1959
Tv 1964
Tv 1965
Tv 1952
Baron Kyosai
Tv 1965
Bartender
Tv 1960
Hon Lee
Tv 1958
Magan
Tv 1957
Harry Wong
Tv 1952
Tv 1972
Tv 1955
Tv 1958
Tv 1952
Tv 1956
Tv 1954
Dr. Wing Chin-Ni
Tv 1960
Mr. Chen
Tv 1975
Chinese cafeteria employee
Tv 1950
Hop Sing (uncredited)
Tv 1959
Abe Fu Yung
Tv 1965
Yang
Tv 1960
Murphy
Tv 1968
Self
Tv 1961
Hop Sing
Tv 1959
Sheng
Tv 1957
Hospital Attendant
Tv 1977
Master Ling (uncredited)
Tv 1972
Chu
Tv 1972
Joseph Sakanishi
Tv 1965
Ling Tang
Tv 1956
Soong
Tv 1975
Chuen (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tv 1972
Charlie, 1st Tattoo Parlor Owner
Tv 1961
Jack Wong
Tv 1954