It's Bolisu Kaarofu!

(I missed a day in the Borisathon, so it's time to play catch-up. Here's a link to Day 2 and Day 3 in which I hope this entry qualifies.)

Using the common stereotype of Asian's mixing up their syllables, here we have ボリス・カーロフ (or Bolisu Kaarofu) as the eponymous and very Asian Mr. Wong. I've spoken at length in the past of Hollywood actors portraying famous and infamous Japanese characters, for example Marlon Brando, whose head you can see below the pic of Mr. Wong. (Or just click on Japolliwood in the Labels list below!) and though Bolisu has never played a Japanese citizen to my knowledge, he has a history of a more sinoster nature. Taking a cue from Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, et al., his most famous role was as Mr. James Wong in a series of detective stories. I've scanned a bit from a copy of Bizarre Magazine for you to read. (Click on the pic to Shanghai-size it!)

Get that? I couldn't find a Japanese link for you to practice your Nihongo but our friends at IMBD inform us of the Mr. Wong series










Doomed to Die (1940) Played by Boris Karloff
... aka The Mystery of Wentworth Castle
The Fatal Hour (1940) Played by Boris Karloff
... aka Mr. Wong at Headquarters (UK)
Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939) Played by Boris Karloff (as Mr. James Lee Wong)
The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939) Played by Boris Karloff
Mr. Wong, Detective (1938) Played by Boris Karloff (as Mr. James Lee Wong)

For your viewing pleasure, you can start here with Mr. Wong in Chinatown:



He enjoyed portraying the Chinese and continued doing so as the evil warlord General Wu Yen Fang in West of Shanghai (but I have very little detail on this one...can any fellow Boris-bloggers help me out?)









Another Chinese character he portrayed was the villainous Fu Manchu and in a surprise move, he meets Godzilla:



Oops, that wasn't right at all. Here is Karloff in 1932 as Fu Manchu in 成吉斯汗の仮面 (Fu Manchu no Kamen) or Mask of Fu Manchu:



Stay tuned for further adventures of Kaarofu-san!