Richard Loo was a highly recognizable Asian character actor in American films during the 1930s and 1940s, frequently typecast as the Japanese enemy pilot, spy, or interrogator during World War II.
Born in Hawaii to Chinese ancestry, Loo spent his youth on the islands before relocating to California as a teenager. He attended the University of California, initially pursuing a career in business. However, the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent economic depression compelled him to start anew.
Loo became involved with amateur and professional theater companies, making his film debut in 1931. Like many Asian actors in non-Asian countries, he primarily played small, stereotypical roles. Despite this, he rapidly gained familiarity and, to some extent, fame in a variety of notable films.
His distinctive features led him to be a favorite movie villain, and the onset of World War II significantly increased his prominence in roles such as vicious Japanese soldiers in successful pictures like The Purple Heart (1944) and God Is My Co-Pilot (1945).
In a rare departure from his usual typecast, Loo portrayed a weary Japanese-American soldier in the Korean War drama The Steel Helmet (1951). Unfortunately, he spent a significant portion of his later career performing stock roles.
Loo's wife, Bessie Loo, was a well-established Hollywood agent.
