Simon Romanov
After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War he put on shows for his fellow troops, the Minneapolis native planned to spend a summer in Los Angeles
The challenges he face as a Chinese American in Hollywood or become one of the most prolific film and television performers in American history.
He moved to L.A., got an agent and started booking small roles. The rest was history much to the starting disapproval of his tradition minded parents.
Almost 70 years later James Hong received his star on the Walk of Fame last month in front of former Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
With nearly 700 film, television and video game credits, he became the oldest person and one of relatively few Asian American and Pacific Islanders
Actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim said that “It was well deserved,” In his speech at Hong’s ceremony, Kim pointed out a startling statistic
Hong had been unsuccessful until 2020, when Kim helped rally a public effort to push his application through and crowdfund the $55,000 fee.
More Hong projects are on the way, including the upcoming HBO Max animated series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.”