Edwin Luke Explained

Edwin Luke
Birth Name:Edwin Sylvester Luke
Birth Date:23 July 1911
Birth Place:Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education:University of Washington
Occupation:Actor, journalist, typographer, social worker
Spouse:Sun Lin “Lennie” Wong (1914–1986)
Relatives:Keye Luke (brother)

Edwin Sylvester Luke (July 23, 1911 – January 18, 1986) was a Chinese American character actor who had a career in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. He played Charlie Chan's Number Four Son, Eddie Chan, in the 1945 feature "The Jade Mask", starring Sydney Toler. He was the son of first generation Chinese American Lee Luke (born in San Francisco in 1880) and the younger brother of actor Keye Luke.[1] [2] He was one of three Chinese Americans - the first cohort - to receive a Bachelor's degrees in journalism from the University of Washington in 1936. While a student there, he played on the championship team in the Northwest Chinese Basketball Tournament. Subsequently, he was the first Chinese American member of the International Typographical Union (Los Angeles #174) in 1941. In addition to acting, he also worked for The Hollywood Reporter as a typographer, writer, editor and later forged a successful career as a social worker for Los Angeles County.[3] In the 2012 award winning short film "Keye Luke", by Taiwanese-American Director Timothy Tau, Edwin Luke was portrayed by actor Archie Kao.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1945The Jade Mask Eddie Chan
1945Secret Agent X-9 Japanese Sailor Serial, Uncredited
1945First Yank Into Tokyo Ling Wan Uncredited
1947Singapore Clerk Uncredited
1953Forbidden Chinese Clerk Uncredited
1954The Shanghai Story Police Officer Uncredited
1955Blood Alley Feng's #2 Nephew Uncredited
1956The King and I Messenger Uncredited
1957The Seventh Sin Houseboy Uncredited
1958Live Fast, Die Young Phillip Uncredited, (final film role)

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Monday Wash. Dixon. Hugh. 7 May 1945. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. en. 2019-11-20.
  2. Book: California, Jenny Cho and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern. Chinese in Hollywood. 2013. Arcadia Publishing. 9780738599731. en.
  3. Web site: With Islanders on the Mainland. 27 Apr 1942. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin. en. 2019-11-20.