| Luke Chan | |
| Birth Name: | Luke Tin Chan |
| Birth Date: | April 16, 1896 |
| Birth Place: | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Death Date: | September 30, 1983 |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Alma Mater: | Columbia University |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Spouse: | Mary Vanvliet (m. 1936) |
Luke Chan was a Canadian character actor and designer who worked in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. He was also a prominent figure in the development of Los Angeles's Chinatown neighborhood.[1] [2]
Chan was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, to parents of Chinese origin. His father, Chan Yu Tan, was a minister and his mother was a doctor.[3]
Chan graduated from Columbia University, and later married Mary Alice Van Vleet in 1936; she died several years later. He was known for his intellectual manner, and he struck up an enduring friendship with actress Elissa Landi.[4] Like a lot of Chinese actors during this period, he often played Japanese roles.[5]
Chan opened the Chinese Junk Cafe in Los Angeles's Chinatown in the late 1930s.[6] He and fellow actor Johnson Sing spent time designing a large replica of a Chinese pirate ship that adorned the restaurant at 733 N. Main St. (The building later burned down in a fire.)[7] [8] Chan also served as president of the neighborhood's China City Merchants' Association and as Chinatown's unofficial mayor, and helped design the look of the area.[9] [10]